


Glamorous Lover

by blaaajung, discombobulated



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - Freeform, Advanced Idea Mechanics, Alternate Universe - Artificial Intelligence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Androids, Artificial Intelligence, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Gay Robots, M/M, Multi, Other, Popularity, Robot Kink, Robot Sex, Robot/Human Relationships, Robots, Sex Machine, Sex Robots, Smut, Smut in the future, Technology, Zettai Kareshi | Absolute Boyfriend - Freeform, ziall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2017-12-28 02:22:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blaaajung/pseuds/blaaajung, https://archiveofourown.org/users/discombobulated/pseuds/discombobulated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall Horan, male, 17, virgin. What happens when he ends up ordering something online that he would end up changing his life forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Absolute Boyfriend spin-off with a bit of a gay twist in it.

It was a Saturday morning, one just like any other. Niall Horan, your average seventeen year-old male was seated at the dining table, having his breakfast (which consisted of Fruit Loops and milk). His mind was going through the memories of the previous day's events, of how he'd (embarrassingly) tried to get a hot guy's attention (and failed).

 

Oh, another thing, Niall is gay. He's still an average seventeen year-old, but he's gay. And let's not forget, he's a virgin.

 

Now back to our story. Ah, right, Niall. His phone is beeping now, bringing him back from reliving his embarrassing memories.

 

“Hey mom,” he says as he picks up his phone.

 

“Ni, honey,” comes the familiar voice on the other end of the line. “Sorry, we couldn't make it back this weekend. We'll probably not be back for another month or so. There are these terrorism acts going on and all flights in and out of Kenya are cancelled.

 

“If you need anything, your dad has just contacted the Payne's, and they should be able to help you, alright? Love you. Bye!”

 

And before Niall could say anything else, the call was ended.

 

Just another regular Saturday, spent alone. In previous years, he'd had his older brother, Greg, stay with him and keep him company while their parents were away on their extensive business trips. But now that Greg was away in university, halfway across the globe, Niall was left to fend for himself.

 

Well, not he's not entirely alone. As his mother had mentioned, he has the Paynes to go to if he ever needs anything. The Paynes are his neighbours. The Paynes and the Horans were the only two occupants on their floor in their large condo in the middle of Manhattan, New York. Niall had known the Paynes for all his life. They had a son, Liam, who was one year Niall's senior.

 

Liam was like an older brother to Niall (besides Greg, who was actually Niall's older brother). They were closer in age as compared to Niall and Greg (who was three years older). They attended the same school, and pretty much grew up together.

 

And so, really, Niall isn't lonely. At least not in that sense. He was, instead, lonely in a sense where he didn't have someone to love him. The Greeks had four words for love.  _Philia,_  love between friends. S _torge,_ fondness through familiarity between a subject and his or her king.  _Agape,_  unconditional love between a parent and child. And lastly,  _eros,_ passionate love between lovers. Niall was lonely in a sense that he didn't have someone to  _eros_ him, and he longed for that.

 

He's got plenty of friends at school, and he's pretty darn sure his parents love him. But what he was truly seeking for was romantic love.

 

Which brings us to now. He'd put his used bowl in the dishwasher, and was now on his laptop, typing up  _how to get a boyfriend_  into the Google search engine.

 

 _5 ways to get a boyfriend – wikiHow_  (Nope, too sketchy. He'd already been there.)

 

 _Why am I single quiz -Why can't I get a boyfriend – seventeen_ (He'd already bought the magazine, so nope.)

 

 _20 reasons you don't have a boyfriend – hookingupsmart.com_ (He'd read the article before and it was pretty inaccurate. So no.)

 

And he kept scrolling down the familiar results until he came to one he hasn't seen before.

 

_One day only! Order your boyfriend online! – FabLovers.com_

 

And before he knew it, he was whisked to a pink webpage with the words FABLOVERS in fancy font printed all over.

 

_Special Offer! Only for today! Order one of our lover models online for FREE! There's no catch, all you have to do is fill out our weekly survey! Click here to continue._

 

Seems legit, Niall thought. Why not? He has nothing to lose. It's not like he'll have to pay or anything. And what the hell, lover models? Sounds kinda weird, but hot damn those images of hot guys at the side bar was too much to resist. And so he clicked to continue.

 

_Fill out our survey first! Are you male or female? Which state are you from? What is your yearly income?_

 

Male. New York, and his parent's yearly income is his yearly income. There.  _Next._

 

 _Choose your skin type for your lover._ Tan.  _Hair colour?_ Hmm, black would be hot, he thought, remembering the image of the one model in the home page.  _Eyes?_  Brown.  _Height?_ Slightly taller than him, so 6'2'' seems good.  _Check off the skills you wish your lover to have._ Studious. Cooking abilities. Athletic. Poetic. Artistic. Funny. You know what, just check everything off.  _Anything you don't want in a lover? Please check them off or write them down in the others column._  Large dick? Why wouldn't anyone want that? Niall was definitely not checking that off. His eyes scanned through the rest of the list and he decided there wasn't anything on that list he didn't want.  _Next._

 

 _Please fill out your information so we may deliver your lover to you. Delivery may take one or two working days depending on your area._ And he filled out his address before clicking  _done._

 

 

After filling out the order form, Niall carried on his regular weekend, his order for the lover completely forgotten. 


	2. Chapter 1

Monday morning and Niall was woken up by the obnoxiously blaring noise of his alarm clock. It was time for him to get up and get ready for school. And he knew that if he wasn't ready soon, Liam from next door (well, technically across the hallway, but let's not deal with technicalities right now) would come over and get him up.

 

He groaned to himself as he forced his legs to plant themselves on the ground and move towards the en-suite bathroom.  _I hate mornings, I hate Mondays, I hate mornings,_  was repeatedly going on and on in his mind.

 

He was halfway brushing his teeth when he realised that he had yet to start on his English essay.  _Crap._ What a great start to a Monday, not.

 

 

***

 

 

He got back later that day, tired, exhausted and annoyed. School really wasn't his thing. All he needed now was a nap. A really long nap. And hopefully he'd be able to catch a show on TV with cute guys.

 

Cute guys that won't glare at him or ignore him. Yes, that's right, Niall's advances on that particularly attractive guy at school was futile again. His best friend Harry, however, had no issues with getting any girl to look at him. In fact, he had no problem getting anyone to look at him. He was perfect; messy curls, charming smile and cute dimples. Your perfect well-rounded Mr Fabulous. Coupled with his height and  _really_ soothingly posh British accent, Harry Styles was resident popular at Richmond Hill Collegiate, the private school Niall attended.

 

How Niall got to even be friends with him, he could never figure out. Compared to Harry, Niall thought he was completely plain. Regular blue eyes and extremely pale skin dotted with freckles was  _not_ what people went for. He was also freakishly small for his age, unfortunately for him, he didn't get any of the hereditary large Irish genes his brother had inherited.

 

He wasn't even athletic or all that smart, nothing compared to the perfection that was Harry. Sometimes he would just feel small and insignificant beside his friend, but most of the time he would be happy to be known as Harry's best bud. He would always be Harry's plus one on any swanky party the spoiled students at Richmond Hill would throw. He was grateful too, for there was where all the hotties would gather. Great eye-candy, really.

 

He carelessly dumped his backpack beside his desk before he got into comfy, home clothes (which were more like pyjamas than anything to be honest). Niall didn't believe in wearing jeans at home. He didn't believe in wearing anything else besides his oversized shirts and basketball shorts, and occasionally sweatpants or a hoodie.

 

Niall was barely into his second week of school and he was already exhausted. It was his junior year and really, it should an easy year as he only has to take two mandatory courses, English and math. The others, French (what exactly was he thinking when he chose this?), gym (his absolute favourite class), world history (it's actually better than he thought), world issues (totally boring), and biology (which he chose cause Harry chose it) were all electives. He did have one spare which he was totally grateful for having. It was his sleep period. Though in the future it would be his cram period, for now it should be his sleep period.

 

And speaking of sleep, he was to catch some now. But wait, was that the door bell?

 

Niall groaned as he twisted and turned in the bed he just got into, he pulled his pillow over his ears in attempt to hide the sound of the second time the bell rang. And that was followed by another, and another, until..

 

“Screw this shit,” Niall cursed as he angrily threw his pillow across the room. Getting up reluctantly, he stormed to the front door and pulled it open, glaring at whoever it was at his front door.

 

“What the hell do you want?” he spat out before realising that,  _Oh,_  it was just Liam.

 

“Why thank you, Niall. I had a lovely day as well,” Liam rolled his eyes. Clearly he didn't want to be here either. “I've got your dinner with me. Mom made it today.”

 

“Oh man, thanks Li!” Niall gushed as he reached for the package in Liam's hands. Ever since Liam had discovered that Niall had been living on Lunch Mates and Kraft Dinner when his parents and Greg weren't around, the Paynes have taken it into their own hands to make sure Niall had proper meals. Breakfast wasn't taken care off as it would be worrying if Niall wasn't able to pour his cereal, and lunch was usually bought at school. So the only thing, really, that the Paynes did was provide dinner, and that itself was enough for Niall.

 

“What's in this?” he asked, peeking into the container he'd fished out from the bag.

 

“Spaghetti,” Liam replied.

 

“Sweet! Thanks! Tell your mom I love her!” Niall said before getting ready to close the door.

 

“Wait!” Liam's hand came and stopped the door. Niall cocked his head to the side curiously. “I was, uh, wondering who's teaching you English.”

 

“Um, Comstock? Why?”

 

“Oh, I dunno, I could give you some tips. I had Comstock in grade 10. She doesn't really teach. Don't worry too much about it.”

 

“Ah. Kay. Thanks. See you tomorrow?” And with that, he promptly shut the door.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief as he placed the spaghetti on the kitchen counter, not knowing why things were so awkward between Liam and him now. They used to be so close when they were younger. It's like everything had changed when he came out of the closet during his freshman year. Was Liam uncomfortable with the idea of his 'little brother' being gay? If so why hasn't he talk to Niall about it? He groaned. Why was being a teenager so fucking hard?

 

He poured the contents of the container onto a plate as he grabbed a fork from the drawers, preparing to have a long night on the couch watching stupid TV shows. Just as he sat down, the door bell rang again. He groaned (you will notice he tends to do that very often as he has many reasons to do so), and slammed his plate down on the coffee table before stalking over to the door and swinging it open, cursing in his mind.

 

“I swear to God, Liam...” He stopped himself, realising his mistake. That person in front of him was  _not_ Liam. Definitely not.

 

“Hello, I'm Louis Tomlinson from FabLovers. I am here to deliver your Lover Model.” Niall took a moment to take the other male in. He was slightly taller than him, light on his feet (he was moving back and forth on the balls of his feet as if he couldn't wait to run a lap), charming smile and had a really empowering aura despite his stature (compared to Niall he was tall, but he was pretty small in general).

 

“Um, what?” was all Niall could say in reply.

 

“You order came in on Saturday, 21st September at 11:26am. We're looking for a Niall Horan. Is that you?” Louis said, reading off the file he had in his hands.

 

Niall was confused. He raked his mind, trying to remember what he did last Saturday. He did remember going online, and,  _oh. Right._

 

“Order a boyfriend?” Niall said out loud, tilting his head slightly to the side, and for the first time he noticed that huge box behind Louis.

 

“Yup. That's the website,” Louis confirmed. “Here, just sign where it's highlighted in yellow.”

 

He took the pen that was thrusted into his hands and hastily signed the form, not bothering to read what it was.

 

“That is all. You should expect a survey coming in through the email you've provided for us by the end of this week. Enjoy your lover,” Louis winked, trotting away, leaving Niall with that huge box that was way taller than him. How the hell was he supposed to move it in? Would it even fit through the door?

 

It turned out, Niall didn't really have to worry. The box had wheels at the bottom, and just barely brushed the door frame when he pushed it in from behind. He shut the door firmly before inspecting his box thoroughly.

 

Excitement bubbled in him as he got a penknife and started cutting at the edges, and  _ooomph!_ That wasn't a very smart move, apparently. The entire side of the box had fallen right on top of Niall, and something heavy was resting on the other side of the cardboard piece. Something heavy and causing him difficulty breathing. He groaned internally before summoning as much strength as he could and pushing the cardboard off him. Something landed right beside him with a loud  _thud!_  and Niall got up to brush the imaginary dust off of him before his eyes landed on what was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

 

It was a sleeping boy. A very hot sleeping boy. A very hot naked sleeping boy. A very hot naked sleeping boy lying on his floor. And,  _oh,_ Niall has just realised that he's very well endowed as well.  _Well,_ he's not complaining in the least.  _Is this even real?_  Niall thought to himself as he carefully poked the boy's arm, surprised at how human-like it felt. His eyes widened at the soft skin-on-synthetic skin contact, and  _wow,_ technology really is getting it's shit together. He tried to wake the boy up, shaking his arm slightly, followed by shaking him vigorously by the shoulders when no reaction was drawn from the very attractive humanoid.

 

At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a manual. User manuals are always good for situations like this. He quickly made a grab for it, flipping instantly to the first page where it said in bright pink letters,  _Welcome to your user's manual for your new Lover model. We hope that the two of you would share many wonderful experiences together. To start your Lover up, simply kiss him on the lips. All Lover models have already been named. If you so wish to change your Lover's name, please turn to page 4 for more assistance._ At the bottom of the page was written:  _Lover Model: Zayn Malik_.

 

Zayn Malik, Niall thought, it fitted the boy in front of him perfectly. He reread the instructions again. _To start your Lover up, simply kiss him on the lips._ He gulped. Kiss? Shouldn't be that hard.

 

Tentatively leaning in, Niall instinctively shut his eyes as he carefully brushed his lips against the boy's – Zayn's lips.

 

Nothing happened at first, and Niall was a little disappointed when he opened his eyes and pulled away, only to be pulled back in again for a heated kiss by a pair of strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist. His eyes widened, every fibre in his body screaming for him to  _pull away! and run!_

 

But he didn't, and he was suddenly flipped over onto his back, panting and flushed. His eyes were greeted by Zayn's bright brown eyes, his body hovering over Niall's

 

 

“Hello boyfriend.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 2

“B-boyfriend??” Niall spluttered, eyes widening.

 

“Yeah,” the lover model smiled, and boy, if Niall wasn't smitten already, he sure was now. The lover model's – Zayn's – eyes crinkled when he smiled as he displayed his perfect set of teeth.

 

 _Of course he's perfect,_ Niall thought, _he's designed to be perfect._

 

And before he knew it, the warm weight of Zayn rested upon Niall was gone as he was pulled into another kiss. Zayn's strong arms lifted Niall up from where he was lying on the floor, lips never leaving Niall's. He was pulled onto Zayn's lap, legs falling carelessly on either side of the Adonis. Instinctively, Niall closed his eyes as he let Zayn take control of the kiss. He hadn't experienced many kisses in his short existence, but he knew for sure that Zayn was extremely skilled by the way his tongue in Niall's mouth feels. He didn't even notice the hand snaking up his shirt until Zayn tweaked his nipple, drawing out a sharp gasp from Niall, allowing Zayn to lick at his tongue and suck at it while his hands continued to caress Niall beneath his hitched-up shirt.

 

Before he knew it, his shirt was off, and he was panting for air when Zayn's mouth left his. His hands shakily griped onto Zayn's firm shoulders as the other boy – android – continually pressed soft kisses on Niall's neck.

 

His mind was racing. Bliss was numbing his senses. This was the furthest he's ever been with anyone. He's not ready yet, not ready for anything more, especially not with someone he'd just known (or in his case, a lover model – _robot –_ he'd just activated).

 

“S-stop!” Niall finally managed to get out, reluctantly pushing himself from Zayn.

 

Zayn looked at him strangely, head tilting to one side.

 

“What's wrong, boyfriend?” he asked, eyes filling with concern.

 

“I..I haven't done anything like that yet..” Niall blushed as the words left his lips. It was, after all, an awkward topic of discussion to have with someone you just laid eyes on.

 

Realisation sparkled in Zayn's eyes (or was it just the trick of the light?) as his face broke into a soft smile. “I'm sorry, I won't make you do something you're not comfortable with. I am your boyfriend, after all.”

 

Niall was literally swooning. _Is this thing for real?_ His blush deepened and he felt light headed. This was all too much to take in. The beautiful thing had made out with him after claiming to be his boyfriend and was now being extremely chivalrous, and just _such a darling. Why can't there be more people like Zayn,_ Niall wondered. _Oh wait, Zayn isn't technically a person. Oops._

 

And then, Zayn stretched, his taut muscles flexing, revealing toned abdominals and firm pectorals. Niall had to refuse his urge to lick at Zayn's abs. And yeah, his eyes travelled down south once again and he blushed even harder.

 

“Like what you see, babe?” Zayn grinned, inching closer to where Niall had distanced himself.

 

Niall gulped. “Uh, d-do you mind if you, uh, covered up?”

 

“Hmm? Like this?” And Niall really couldn't tell if Zayn was joking or not when he lifted his hands to cover his face.

 

“N-no, I mean, like get some clothes on,” he said when he realised that, yeah, Zayn wasn't kidding at all. “Here, follow me.”

 

Without waiting for Zayn's reply, he got up and made his way to Greg's room. Zayn most definitely would not fit in any of his clothes considering how built up (no pun intended) he was compared to Niall. Greg's closet was a safe bet.

 

Goosebumps peppered his revealed shoulders as Zayn's hand came in contact with them, startling Niall.

 

“Boyfriend, you haven't told me how to address you properly, unless 'boyfriend' is what you prefer?” Zayn's other hand snaked it's way across Niall's torso, halting him in the middle of Greg's room. His breathing ( _why would robots need to breathe??_ ) caused more goosebumps to surface as his warm breath hit Niall's neck.

 

Zayn's body was so close, his chest pressing on Niall's back, his strong (synthetically made) arms were holding Niall in place, making him feel strangely safe and secure.

 

“N-niall,” he managed to get out before wriggling out of Zayn's hold and dashing for Greg's closet, rummaging through it for clothes.

 

“Here, put these on.” He held up a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to a still-naked Zayn, eyes averting from the android, trying not to look at his manly bits.

 

His pants had significantly tightened after opening that box and finding Zayn, and he really needed to get rid of this unwanted boner. And he needed to get his shirt back on as well.

 

Niall looked back at Zayn, and he couldn't help but admire how _well_ he'd managed to pull off wearing a simple shirt and sweat pants. How good they looked on him when on Greg they looked completely normal and kinda sloppy.

 

“Wow,” he breathed. He was anticipating someone to wake him up any time soon cause this simply cannot be real. _It must be a dream,_ he reasoned. _Nobody, not even an android can be this_ perfect. And, _were robots like this even real to begin with? Like, did they even exist?_ Maybe he should sleep and when he wakes up again Zayn won't be here, that way he won't get overly attached to a dream idea.

 

“Niall?” Zayn's voice called out to him. His raspy, sexy voice that sounded like sex itself. Zayn was like perfection personified. Like every single fantasy Niall had put together in one glorious being. Things like this just _don't_ happen in real life, therefore it cannot be real.

 

“You cannot be real,” Niall blurted out.

 

“Of course I'm real,” Zayn chuckled. “I'm real and I'm here for you to enjoy. You're the reason I'm here after all.”

 

“Ah, right, um..yeah. I did remember ordering you..”

 

“Yes,” Zayn beamed. Niall's heart melted. Can he get any cuter? “Is there anything you want me to do right now?”

 

All Niall could thing about was sleep. Sleep and maybe he'll wake up from this (extremely wonderful) dream.

 

“Nothing really,” he mumbled. “I just go to bed.”

 

Slowly, he trudged past Zayn out of Greg's room, making a beeline for his own. The call of his bed was strong, and he was indeed answering to it. He was halfway there when suddenly his feet weren't on the floor any more. And well, neither was he vertically upright. He looked up and saw Zayn grinning down on him.

 

“Let's go, Niall.”

 

“Wh-what? What are you doing?” Niall spluttered (once again), realising that Zayn had picked him up and was carrying him like one would for their bride. And then he noticed his bare back rubbing against Zayn's bare chest. “Why are you naked again??”

 

“You said you wanted to go to bed,” Zayn stated. “I'm ready.”

 

“ _What?_ ”

 

Within seconds, his back came in contact with his all-too familiar bed, and suddenly Zayn was hovering above him. What has he gotten himself into?

 

“Z-zayn? What's going on?”

 

Noticing his concern, Zayn paused where he was. “I am, well, a lover model. Designed and built to fulfil everything a lover will for our client.”

 

And Niall understood. He wanted to hit himself for not realising earlier. Zayn was a fucking machine, literally. He was built to, well, fuck. And oh boy, Niall really wasn't thinking things through when he ordered him online. To be fair, he didn't even believe they'd actually send the lover model.

 

“It's alright,” Zayn whispered. “I'll be gentle.”

 

Niall's breath hitched as Zayn's knee gently pushed his legs apart, his skilful hands rubbing softly onto his exposed chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, barely registering the hand that had slipped into his basketball shorts.

 

Zayn began kissing his neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin and licking everywhere. But this isn't how Niall pictured his first time to be like..

 

“No!” he yelled, pushing Zayn away (yet again), his hands flying to cover his chest (and whatever was left of his chastity. “Th-this! You only do it with someone you truly love! I-I wanna do it right and fall in love first. I mean, I'm interested and all but we're both supposed to say 'I love you,' before doing it..”

 

“I understand,” Zayn smiled after a while, pressing a light kiss on Niall's forehead. “A boyfriend doesn't force his lover to do anything he's not ready for..”

 

Niall blushed. Zayn was really too good to be true. And he couldn't believe that this perfect being was really his!

 

“You're really cute, Niall,” Zayn noted as he got off the bed and started pulling the shirt he'd scattered back on.

 

“Ahh, thank you..” Niall blushed harder.

 

“I like how you blush so easily.” The words caused him to reddened even more. He hastily grabbed a shirt that was lying on the floor (last week's laundry yet to be done) and pulled it on, ignoring the smell.

 

Speaking of smell, he should really clean his room and, yeah, the apartment basically needs a thorough cleaning. And, _oh shit,_ Niall just remembered he had homework. _Fuck._ Just when he thought his day was going so well. Ah well, at least he had his Lover wit him (even though it might just turn out to be a dream). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also being posted on Wattpad and Tumblr.


	4. Chapter 3

“Arghh!!! Fuck I'm gonna be late!”

 

And this, is the start of a typical day for our protagonist, Niall Horan. Stomping out of his room, shirt un-tucked and bag in tow, he was greeted immediately by Zayn.

 

So, maybe this wasn't such a typical morning after all.

 

“Good morning, Niall,” Zayn beamed at him.

 

“Oh! Zayn! Morning! I'm going to school! Just, uh, stay at home and watch TV or something till I get back, yeah?And please please don't go out on your own!” With that, Niall left the apartment, flustered and in a hurry.

 

To be honest, he didn't get much sleep the night before. He had never expected to be living under the same roof as another person other than his family. Sleep-deprived and mind off in Zayn-land, Niall couldn't pay much attention to school either.

 

All he could think about was _ZaynZaynZayn_. It was just like the time his father bought him a puppy back in grade 5 and nothing really mattered for the first couple of days besides playing with his puppy. But then he learnt that he had to be responsible for it, and that was that, he ended up giving it away. Niall hopes it won't be that way with him and Zayn. He most certainly does not want to have to give Zayn away, I mean, perfect hottie that is ever-willing to love you. What more can a person ask for?

 

“Spiffy.” It was lunchtime and Harry was busy teaching their group about British terms. Harry was born in England but grew up in the States, though he did manage to maintain his accent (which was what made it so much easier for him to pick up girls and guys).

 

“What does it mean?” a girl asks.

 

Niall looks at everyone oddly. This wasn't like him, he would usually be part of the conversation and try to interact with everyone cause that's just the way he is. But today, today was weird. Zayn was occupying his mind. Tanned skin and dark eyes kept flashing through his head. Almost always followed by images of large dicks and toned chests. It was a struggle, keeping everything in a not spilling about his lover model to everyone.

 

He had decided on his way to school that it would seem very strange if people were to find out if he had ordered a boyfriend online, especially if they found out that his boyfriend was in fact, a sex toy. A very large sex toy. The concept was strange and awkward to discuss, so he'd decided to just not talk about it. Besides, it isn't anyone's business on what he orders on the internet. No one has to know.

 

“Hey Niall.” Harry's voice brought him back to the conversation going on at the lunch table.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You alright? Y'seem a little out of it today. What's on your mind?”

 

“School,” was the automatic response, though it was untrue. Niall wasn't usually a good liar but when it came to explaining why he was so drained out of life, saying 'school,' seemed to cover it pretty well.

 

“I feel ya bro,” Harry said sympathetically. “Though, if you didn't say anything, one might assume you were still pining over Josh Devine.”

 

Niall spluttered his orange juice. After wheezing and coughing a little, he said, “We do not talk about these things here.”

 

“Aw why? Embarrassed?”

 

“No,” Niall fought hard not to blush.

 

“Well, rumour has it that he's currently single and actually interested in boys,” Harry said conspiratorially.

 

“Well,” Niall started, straightening himself (not in that sense, but literally, straightening himself). “I _have_ tried my luck, but we've all seen how it has turned out. So no. Drop it Haz.”

 

“Okay, fine,” Harry backed off.

 

Josh Devine was the drummer boy enigma that also played on their school soccer team (though according to Harry, it was really called _football_ ). He was the one Niall had embarrassed himself in front of.

 

Everyone at school knew Niall was gay, or at least everyone that knew Niall was also aware of the fact that he was into guys (or _blokes,_ as Harry would say). (Really, Harry has a pretty interesting and vast vocabulary for someone who was barely passing English.) (Ironically enough, he was English, and should really be doing well but he isn't.)

 

Josh was one of Liam's jock friends, and Niall had been crushing on him since the summer began. Crushing wouldn't quite be the term for it, maddeningly obsessed would better fit the description. The Friday before, Niall _finally_ got the guts to go and speak to Josh. It was a very trying moment, and ended pretty badly.

 

Niall had went up to say hello to Josh, but his attempts were completely shot down when Josh just stared at him with a clueless expression. Only then did it hit Niall that Josh had absolutely no idea who the hell he was. And well, he shouldn't be surprised or anything (cause he knew he really wasn't anyone popular at school), but he was (very) embarrassed. He ended up running away, or pretending he got the wrong person (he can't be sure, everything was kinda hazy after that). Thank god Liam wasn't there or he'd be laughing till next year at Niall (because that's what Harry did).

 

For Niall, Liam was that older brother that would be nice to you at times but in general would tease you endlessly and basically make your life miserable. Well, maybe not entirely miserable, but you get the point. Oh, and right, most people at school (i.e. Niall's group of friends) don't know that Liam and Niall know each other, much less have a sort of brotherly kind of friendship.

 

They don't exactly hang out in the same crew, per se. Liam hung out around the athletic group while Niall was kinda in the semi-popular group (that were kinda just made up out very loud oddballs and Harry Styles).

 

So you could say Niall was kinda shocked when Harry pointed out that 'the jock dude' has been staring at him throughout the entire lunch period.

 

“What?!” Niall exclaimed when Harry subtly pointed out Liam's spot in the cafeteria, and indeed was he staring at Niall (or at least in Niall's general location).

 

“Yeah, I thought you'd noticed,” Harry said nonchalantly, eating his sandwich slowly.

 

“Uh..”

 

“Do you know him?”

 

“Sorta.”

 

“Cool. He's hot. I think he's a senior.”

 

And then. “Niall.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I think he's coming over?”

 

“Good lord, have mercy. Harry, he's fucking bringing Josh over. Hide me!”

 

“No! Oh my god. Here's your chance to score your boy!” Harry whisper-squealed, hands clinging onto Niall, preventing him from running.

 

Niall shot Harry a glare, which was returned by a smile. A very cheeky smile.

 

“Niall.”

 

“Oh, hey Liam.”

 

“Who's this, Niall, care to introduce?” Harry butted in, wriggling his eyebrows at Niall (he did it in a way that only Niall can see, it was quite amusing).

 

“Uh, Liam, this is Harry. Harry, this is Liam,” Niall said stiffly, aiming a hard kick at Harry's shin. He really hated his friend right now.

 

“Right. Cool. Nice to meet you,” Liam acknowledged Harry's presence briefly before turning back to Niall. “So my mom was wondering if you could come over for dinner tonight. Said she hasn't seen you in a while.”

 

“Oh..” Niall was stuck for a moment. Usually Liam would text him about stuff like this, or just simply talk to him after school. He wasn't used to speaking to Liam at school. “Um, sure. I don't have anything going on tonight.”

 

“Yeah. Great. I'll just tell her that then. I think we might be having shepherd's pie tonight. Don't count on it though.”

 

“Kay cool,” Niall replied, trying his very best to ignore Josh Devine's steely (and extremely hot) gaze on him.

 

“Oh, by the way, this is Josh,” Liam said. There was a glint in his eyes that Niall couldn't quite figure out, but he's pretty sure it had something to do with his (embarrassing) encounter with the other boy last Friday. He wouldn't be surprised if Josh had told Liam all about him. He could just picture it.

 

' _That strange pale kid just said hi to me and ran away.'_

 

_'Tough life, bro. I live next to him.'_

 

_'Ooh harsh.'_

 

Yeah, that was how Niall pictured it. And yeah, maybe he was being a little stereotypical about jocks right now, but who cares cause Josh fucking Devine is looking at him and smiling at him and oh lord he think he might just pass out.

 

“Hey, we've, well you've said hi to me last week,” Josh said, smiling that crinkly-eyed smile he used for the school newspaper when he won the regional championships for the soccer team last season (Niall has that image cut out and pasted somewhere in a binder in his desk, but shhh, no one's supposed to know). Niall's mind couldn't help but wander towards that few moments he had of Zayn smiling. Zayn's smile was so much cuter, his teeth showing and all. But Zayn wasn't here right now, so I guess he was allowed to admire Josh's instead.

 

“Yeah, uh.. hi again?”

 

From beside him, he could feel Harry go rigid, and then he started getting nudges to his side. He chose to ignore those.

 

“Hey Josh,” Harry smiled charmingly. “You guys could sit, y'know. We don't bite.”

 

Niall groaned internally. _Why????_

 

Harry grinned at him wickedly.

 

“Thanks, but we have a soccer meeting in like, now,” Liam informed.

 

“Yeah. It was great to meet you properly, Niall,” Josh said. “Hope to see you around more.”

 

“Yeah see you later,” Liam finally said before tugging Josh away with him.

 

Niall sighed, dazed. He just had a kind of conversation with Josh and he thinks he can die in peace. Harry was staring at him oddly. He couldn't quite figure the expression on Harry's face, so he decided to (yet again) ignore the curly haired boy.

 

“Niall, you could've been charming and sweet and made Josh like wanna pull you onto his lap! But you chose to be dorky and awkward! Oh god!”

 

“Jesus. Chill. Let me bask in my afterglow, please.”

 

And yeah, nothing really mattered any more. Josh wanted to 'see him around more' and he _could_ very possibly make that happen. He smiled dreamily throughout the day, passing through school like a breeze, everyone around him completely ignored.

 

That was, until he remembered he had a certain Zayn Malik waiting for him in his apartment while he was on his way back. He felt a sinking feeling of guilt settle somewhere in his chest. Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading (:


	5. Chapter 4

Niall returned home, slightly dazed. He still couldn't get his mind off Josh Sex-God Devine who'd talked to him during lunchtime. 

And he almost forgot about the sex bomb he had in his apartment. Almost being the keyword. 

He'd only snapped out of his daydream-state when his nose caught a whiff of something delicious being made. His mouth watered, and he immediately followed the scent to the kitchen, only to find Zayn clothed in nothing more than an apron. Literally. 

"Hey honey! I'm making steak tonight! How does that sound?" Zayn asked brightly when he'd noticed Niall's presence before turning back to the stove.

Niall didn't think he could get his brain to work properly at this point of time. His eyes were too busy staring at Zayn's biceps. And then his ass. And, oh wait, why isn't Zayn wearing anything? And where the hell did he even get that apron?

"Z-Zayn!" Niall managed to stutter, finally remembering how to speak. "Y-your clothes!" Apparently the ability to form proper sentences was still yet to be rediscovered. 

"Oh yeah, those," Zayn acknowledged, back still facing Niall. "They were itchy. Besides, I was thinking of being part of the main course tonight, and clothes would kind of be a hassle for that. Would you like that?"

"Yes," Niall instantly replied, before realising what he'd just been asked. And then.. "Wait, no!! Zayn go put something on after you're done! It's..inappropriate!" 

Zayn turned the heat off before turning back to face Niall. His whole expression dejected, and Niall couldn't help but coo (internally) at his eyes that were now wide and pleading. 

"So..no food sex?" Zayn asked sadly, looking small and confused (it was a hard feat for someone built for the Olympics and measuring more than six feet in height, but he somehow managed). 

Niall wanted to give in, but it was a strange (and kinda hot) thing to do with someone you've known for like two days. He has to stand his ground no matter how enticing it sounded to relent. 

"Sorry, Zayn," Niall sighed. "No food sex."

Zayn frowned and pouted (how the hell did they manage to get a robot to do any of that???). He lethargically went back to preparing dinner (which Niall was totally looking forward to).

And that was when the doorbell rang. 

Shit, Liam. 

Amidst the flurry of discovering someone was actually preparing dinner for him dressed in nothing more than an apron, he's forgotten that Liam (and the Paynes) would usually prepare him dinner. Crap. And wasn't tonight supposed to be the dinner with the Paynes???

Ugh. His stomach grumbled, all these thoughts about dinner has gotten him all riled up and ready for consuming food, and it's barely 4:45. 

And the doorbell rang again.

"Are you gonna get that, Niall?"

"Shit." He can't open the door for Liam when there's Zayn (who's very much naked save for that apron who's origins are still a mystery) in his kitchen. 

"I'm done the steak. You can have early dinner if you want," Zayn's voice broke through his train of thoughts. In a flurry, he grabbed Zayn and dragged him to Greg's room before closing the door. 

"Sorry Zayn!! Just! Just stay there until I call you, yeah? And, don't make a sound!" he whisper-shouted. Crossing his fingers and hoping Zayn got what he asked for, Niall opened the door for Liam. 

"H-hey."

"Yeah, hi. Uh, mom wanted to know when you were coming over," Liam said, standing awkwardly in front of Niall.

Niall was trying his best to cover most of his apartment with his body and at the same time come off as casual. It wasn't working.

"Hey, you're weirder than usual today," Liam commented, frowning. "And is that steak I smell? Niall, didn't I tell you earlier that we're having you over for dinner?"

His frown deepened, eyebrows furrowed. Niall gulped. 

"Uh, I'll be over at six," Niall managed to say. "Won't be able to stay long. Y'know, school work and all." 

And with that, he awkwardly shuffled Liam away and closed the door abruptly. He'd never felt so relived before (unless you count that time he was holding his pee in throughout an entire five hour bus ride, but that's another story). 

Then he remembered Zayn in Greg's room. He rushed to the door, almost tripping on the way, and breathlessly opened the door. Niall was greeted by a smiling (and fully clothed, thank god) Zayn. 

"Oh my gosh," Niall gushed. "I'm so sorry!! It's just, the neighbour, Liam, I don't know how I can explain about my naked boyfriend that happens to be a robot I ordered online!!"

"It's okay, darling." Zayn was still smiling warmly, something Niall was very glad for. "I totally understand. Are you gonna eat first before going over to his house?"

"You heard that?" Niall gasped, shocked that Zayn was able to hear so well.

"Yeah."

"Oh my. Um, I like completely forgot that Liam's mom had invited me to dinner. Ugh, I feel so bad."

"No, it's fine.."

"No, it's not fine!" Niall argued. "Especially after you spent the time to make food for me. Y'know what, here, I'll eat some of your steak, and at six I'll just have a second dinner at the Paynes. It should be fine, I mean, don't hobbits do that all the time?"

"What are hobbits?" Zayn asked.

"Uh, they're these little people in a book."

"Oh, cool."

"Actually I have the whole book series somewhere. You could read it during the day and all. I feel so bad that you have to stay at home all day."

"It's fine, really," Zayn said warmly, resting his hand reassuringly on Niall's shoulder. "Everything's fine as long as I get to be with you."

Niall thinks he might not be able to breathe properly as Zayn begins to lean in closer and both his hands start to cup his cheeks. The next thing he knew, Zayn's lips were on his as his hands travelled towards Niall's waist, and Niall felt his knees give way. The way Zayn licked into his mouth and held him close made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He might not necessarily be in love with the android, but the physical attraction was definitely there, and right now he might just be swooning from having a hot boy kiss him passionately like that. 

One of Zayn's hands slowly snaked to his bum and cupped it firmly, effectively bringing their lower regions closer to each other. Niall had to hold back a moan that nearly escaped his lips when his growing erection brushed against Zayn's clothed one. 

Breathlessly, he pulled away once he remembered the steak. The taste of Zayn still lingered on his lips, and he was still flushed from the kiss.

"I'll set the plate for you," Zayn said, totally composed. Niall looked at his retreating form and wondered how the hell he managed to regain himself so quickly. A quick look at Zayn's crotch when he return also confirmed his suspicion that Zayn's boner was down. 

How the hell did it work? Like he can just get turned on and off as and when he pleases? 

He shook his head, settling down on the dining table. Too much thinking before eating is not good, he reminded himself. 

 

***

 

Dinner with the Paynes was fairly awkward. Small talk was made on how he was progressing in school, and he had to continuously ignore Liam's questioning gaze as he slowly ate his food. 

It was a good thing Mrs Payne was too busy fawning over him that she didn't quite notice that Niall was still on his first serving of shepherd's pie. 

"Oh Niall, hon, it's so nice to have you over again," she cooed. "Liam here barely gets out of his room, especially when there's guest over. You should come over more often, maybe then he'll decide to eat with us too."

"Mom," Liam whined. "That's not true. I do eat with you guys."

"Yeah right, like once a month," his mom scoffed. "I swear we see Nicola and Ruthie more often than we see you. And the girls are in college!!"

"Mom..!!"

"Hush, no whining in front of the guest," Mrs Payne reprimanded. "Niall here, oh how I wish he was my son. He eats so well and never complains about food. Unlike someone here. He's always smiling too. It's a shame your parents aren't around often enough to see you and spoil you rotten."

Liam choked. "Please, mom. You don't know him. He's so spoilt."

"Says the one who never wants to be seen without his headphones. Right Geoff?" 

Niall couldn't keep in the giggle he'd been suppressing when Mr. Payne actually nodded and sent a pointed look at Liam. Geoff Payne was a quiet man, and was the personification of 'actions speak louder than words,'. 

"Niall, honey," she reverted her attention back to Niall, who was at this point struggling to finish the last bit of his pie. "You know you're always welcome here whenever you want, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled, earning himself a fond pinch on the cheek from Mrs. Payne. 

"You're so cute! I wish I had a son like you," she sighed. 

He could practically feel the daggers from Liam's eyes pierce through him. He decided to let that slide though. 

"You might want to take that back when you've taken a look at my report card," he joked.

"Nonsense!" she said. "Grades mean nothing to me. As long as you're enjoying yourself. 'Swhat I've been telling Liam all the time but he simply won't listen, always spending more time with his books than his poor old mother."

"Mom, my future is very dependent on my grades," Liam defended. 

"We've already agreed that you'll work for your dad's company!!" Mrs Payne argued. 

"I don't even know what dad does!" Liam shot back.

Niall shared a glance with Mr. Payne. Was this a usual thing? Mr. Payne seemed to read him well, and nodded curtly. Niall returned his gaze to his plate. He was done with the pie, and goddamn he was stuffed! 

"Are you done, dear?" Mrs Payne asked, eyeing his empty plate.

"Yes! It was delicious! Thanks ma'am!"

"No problem, dear. Stay for dessert, will you? I have pecan tarts sitting by the counter. Could you grab them for me, Liam? Thank you."

And yeah, who was Niall to say no to pecan tarts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey you all! discombobulated here! wanna thank everyone for taking the time to read this! xx


	6. Chapter 5

A week (or nearly a week if you want to get technical) living with Zayn proved harder than Niall thought. It was the weekend and Niall couldn't be more relieved.

 

The past couple of days were spent arriving home exhausted and greeted with a warm meal, a (mostly) naked hottie, and prospects of sex (of which he declines profusely every time despite how enticing it sounds). You see, living with Zayn wasn't exactly bad. It was actually quite a wonderful thing for Niall for he finally had someone to cook meals for him and clean up after him, and cuddle with him while he watched TV. Oh, and did I mention that Zayn also happens to be incredibly smart? Yeah, that's another plus for Niall as he's receiving the long end of the rope here with Zayn helping him with his homework all the time.

 

It's perfect living with Zayn. Except it's not really. Niall feels the strange need to hide Zayn from his friends, and especially Liam who had ceased to bring Niall his dinner after Niall had informed him that he's learning how to cook.

 

Zayn’s exhausting to keep up with. He’s so full of energy, with constant smiles and sexual offers. It was tiring having to say no every time Zayn offered to give him a blowjob under the covers while watching Breaking Bad. And Niall had officially given up on making Zayn put on more clothes. That robot was constantly stripping (at a record pace every time that never failed to catch Niall by surprise).

 

It was also hard to explain to his friends why he has a smoking hot guy who could easily be a Hollister model living in his apartment and claiming to be his boyfriend. What's even harder to explain is how Zayn (the said Hollister model material) isn't actually human and is, in fact, a robot. Specifically, a robot built for sex. So he just didn’t. No one but him and Fab Lovers know that Zayn exists.

 

Even though Zayn didn’t behave very much like those stereotypical robots he saw in movies, he was undoubtedly a robot (or, well, an artificial intelligence according to that one movie that Niall came across that had robots more like Zayn) (or if you want to be really politically correct, Zayn would be called a lover model, but really, they’re just other names for robot).

 

So far the User’s Manual was his best friend (and biggest help). It turns out that he indeed cannot get pregnant from having intercourse with his lover model if he were a girl, and erections for the lover model can happen at whim (interesting). Oh, and a very important piece of information; the lover model (Zayn) is bonded to his partner by the ‘start-up’ kiss. That would explain why Zayn was so enamoured by Niall for no apparent reason.

 

Niall didn’t see anything special in himself. Granted, he wasn’t like extremely unattractive or exceptionally dumb, but he wasn’t the most attractive (or even close) and neither was he scoring 90’s in all his classes (besides Gym which really is an exception). But hey, robots probably can’t tell anyway. Which is what upsets Niall the most. The only person who eros -es him is well, not a person to begin with, and is also programmed to eros him.

 

Don’t think too much about it, he tells himself, burying his head into his pillow and trying to block out all his negative thoughts. It’s all in the mind and perspective, he repeats to himself, chanting the words in his head. Who cares if Zayn only loves him cause he’s designed to? At least he has someone loving him. No one else needs to know Zayn’s a robot (lover model, he corrects himself).

 

He keeps saying these to himself, but really, all he can think of is Josh. Perfect Josh who has yet to speak to Niall for the second time. There’s still hope, Niall thinks dreamily.

 

And suddenly, all these thoughts on love disappear as his stomach starts grumbling. He groaned. Time to get up. He eyed the wall clock suspiciously, wondering if he had really been sleeping in till 12PM or whether it was the batteries that needed changing (he hoped it was the latter).

 

(He was wrong.)

 

“Niall!” Zayn’s now-familiar voice called, followed by a knock and then quickly by his bedroom door opening. “It’s almost 12. Don’t you have school today?”

 

Niall groaned. It was a Saturday, and fuck he has homework.

 

“No,” he moaned. “But I have tons of homework to get to..”

 

Niall kicked off his comforter lethargically, dragging his sorry self past Zayn and to the washroom where he proceeded to get decent for the day.

 

“I made lunch!” Zayn announced, voice slightly drowned by the sound of running water Niall had going.

 

“Thanks!” Niall called out as best as he could through his toothbrush. He quickly rinsed his mouth and wiped his face, stomach rumbling and eager to have food.

 

The thing about Zayn was that he cooked really well. And that earned him bonus points in Niall’s books. After all, Niall can’t cook to save himself.

 

“Is that pancakes I smell?” Niall wondered out loud as he made his way towards the dining area.

 

“Close,” Zayn smirked, already seated at the table. “We’re having waffles. I hope you don’t mind me using your wallet to get the stuff to make this.”

 

Niall frowned. What? His mind was racing, did anyone see Zayn leave the apartment? Hopefully not Liam!

 

“When did you go shopping?” was all he said in reply.

 

“While you were asleep. We were running out of eggs and milk anyway. I was going to tell you that, but you were sleeping so well and I really didn’t wanna bother you,” Zayn replied sheepishly.

 

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Niall clarified. “It’s just, I was wondering if anyone saw you?”

 

“Uh, a couple people on the street did,” Zayn said after much thought. “Oh, and that really nice girl at the store who helped me find what I needed.”

 

Niall frowned. He didn’t like the sound of this one bit. She, whoever this girl was, was probably trying to hit on Zayn. Sure he might not be like, in love with this robot (lover model, he corrects himself again), but weren’t they supposed to be ‘boyfriends’?

 

“She had pretty blonde hair,” Zayn continued, seeming oblivious to Niall’s distaste. All this talk of the girl was making him lose his appetite. There’s a reason why he’s gay, y’know. “But I like your hair better.”

 

And with that said, Niall’s (slowly built-up) jealousy was vanquished.

 

“Thanks Zayn, that’s really nice of you,” he preened, allowing a smile to slip on his face. “Now can we start eating? I’m so hungry!”

 

“No.” Zayn stopped Niall as he reached over to one of the waffles that were stacked beautifully on the table. Niall looked at Zayn, aghast. What? Who was he and why was he stopping him from eating his food?

 

“You need to kiss me first.”

 

And if Niall wasn’t staring before, he was really staring now. What?

 

He must’ve said that out loud, for Zayn said, “I cooked for you. The price is one kiss.”

 

Niall swore the robot (lover model, he corrects himself again) had this all planned out. This wasn’t fair! All he wants is to dig into those delicious smelling waffles and coat them with butter and syrup. How did he end up getting cornered into kissing this (amazingly hot and super attractive) artificial intelligence (cause that’s really what Zayn is; incredibly smart) in front of him? Zayn and him have shared a couple of kisses before (all of which are deeply imprinted in his mind). They were all hot, steamy and more often than not, left him extremely aroused and wanting more. But he (somehow) tells himself he hates that and that he wants to just be friends with Zayn first before dealing with actual boyfriend-y stuff.

 

(Which is a lie, really, we all know that he wants more all the time, there’s no denying that.)

 

He scowls, and scowls even harder when he catches the smug look on Zayn’s face. He can’t help but stare at how long Zayn’s eyelashes are, how dark and alluring his eyes are, and just how hot his hair is, all mussed up and scruffy yet somehow put together.  

 

“Fine”, he relents. He’s gonna kiss Zayn. Totally not because he has an insanely gorgeous face and killer cheekbones. Only because Niall really wants to eat those waffles. Yeah, the waffles. Not Zayn.

 

Niall takes a deep breath, inching closer to the taller male, and standing slightly on his toes, his hands gripping onto Zayn’s firm arms for support as he leans up to chastely peck his lips. He quickly pulls away once their lips come in contact, screaming internally at how good that felt when Zayn had his lips on his, how warm and soft they were.

 

He pulled away a little, only to be pulled right back in, gasping as Zayn’s strong arms gripped on his waist and pressed their bodies impossibly close together, crashing their lips in another mind-blowing kiss.

 

Zayn nips at his lower lip impatiently, tongue pushing against his shock-sealed lips as one of his hands reaches slightly farther down to cup his bum, squeezing it and making him gasp. Zayn took this opportunity to slide his tongue in Niall’s mouth, causing Niall to moan at how he licked so skillfully in his mouth, sucking on his tongue and making his head spin. Before he knew it, Zayn’s pressing his thigh between Niall’s legs, pulling him on his lap as he leans back and sits on the table behind him. Niall reaches his hands for Zayn’s shoulders blindly, gripping on helplessly as he just sits with Zayn’s thigh between his legs and just takes everything Zayn’s willing to offer.

 

They eventually part, Niall breathless and Zayn’s pupils completely blown out; lust-filled. (Can that even happen for robots? Niall questions himself.) He took several moments to catch his breath, panting and still clutching on to Zayn’s shoulders. He was so much smaller than Zayn was, and he loved how Zayn could easily lift him up and just manhandle him (though he would never admit it).

 

“Let’s eat,” Zayn finally says, his voice infuriatingly even and composed. Niall could barely remember how to breathe properly after the kiss (two kisses to be specific), let alone form coherent words. How is it fair that Zayn (the instigator) is now completely casual about the fact that they’d just shared a (really hot and boner-inspiring) kiss?

 

“The waffles are getting cold, Niall,” Zayn says, gently nudging Niall off of him. He ended up picking the blond up and setting him in a chair (that was conveniently pulled out) before he got into a seat across from Niall.

 

Niall’s brain was still buzzing from the kiss (you could really call it a semi-makeout session). His other bodily functions are not cooperating, and he barely registered Zayn helping himself to a waffle after placing a piece on Niall’s plate.

 

And yeah, he just stares at Zayn eating his waffle before he actually realises that, woah, Zayn’s eating a waffle. The words take a while to sink into his brain, but thankfully he was concentrating on the important parts. Zayn. Is. Eating.

 

“Zayn?” Niall blurts out. “You can eat?”

 

“Yeah,” Zayn shrugs nonchalantly. “Why not?”

 

And it seems that that was the end of discussion when Zayn pours himself another bout of syrup and begins slicing his waffle up into smaller bits. How has he never noticed Zayn eating before, he wondered.

 

“Are you not gonna eat?” Zayn said, concerned lacing his voice. “Are you feeling ill?”

 

“Oh, no.” Niall finally snaps out of it (whatever trance he was in before) (he deeply suspects that Zayn had put something on his lips that had him thinking fuzzy). He reaches for the syrup, fingers brushing against Zayn’s (he swears there are sparks but that might just be static). He shrugs the feeling off and proceeds to soak his waffles in syrup.

 

His mind blanks when he takes his first bite. He was in heavenly bliss, moaning at the wondrous taste left tingling on his tastebuds. And he thought, maybe living with Zayn might just be the closest thing to perfect.

 

And that was when the doorbell rang.

 


	7. Chapter 6

Niall froze in his spot, the piece of waffle he had balanced on his fork was dangling precariously, threatening to fall back to his plate, his mouth still wide open.

 

Zayn, oblivious to Niall’s obvious shock, got up cheerily.

 

“I’ll get that,” he sing-songed.

 

That was when Niall snapped back to reality.

 

“No, Zayn!” he whisper-screamed, grabbing the larger boy by his arm and pulling him back. “I’ll get it. You stay here. Uh, no wait, on second thought, could you hide in Greg’s room? Please?”

 

Zayn huffed in annoyance, but reluctantly followed Niall’s orders.

 

Niall took a deep breath before going for his front door. Whoever this was, it better be good. Opening up, he was greeted by the sight of a slightly annoyed Liam Payne.

 

“What?” Niall said, wanting to get straight to the point.

 

“Are you always this rude to people who come to your door or is it just me?”

 

Niall took a moment to consider. “Yeah, it’s just you.”

 

“I feel like you should be a lot more thankful to me,” Liam said, rolling his eyes. “Anyways, I’m here cause my mom is seriously worried about you and she wants me to check on you to make sure you haven’t died of malnutrition.”

 

“I’m fine,” Niall huffed. There really is no reason (well there is) for Mrs. Payne to constantly fret over him. He was, after all, (for the most part) a very capable seventeen year-old.

 

“It appears that you are,” Liam noted. “Isn’t it a little late for pancakes?”

 

“No, it’s waffles,” Niall answered with an eyeroll, then he caught himself. Shit. Liam noticed.

 

Pushing Niall aside, Liam made his way in the house. “I didn’t know you could make waffles.”

 

“That’s what waffle machines are for,” Niall lied smoothly, trying very hard to hide his annoyance at Liam’s prying.

 

To his surprise, he found Zayn back at his spot on the table, eating away at the waffles. Liam seemed to notice as well, and had stopped in his tracks to stare at Zayn (who was, at this point, very much shirtless).

 

“Zayn!” Niall squeaked. “Why’re you out?!”

 

“Sorry,” the robot said through a mouthful of waffles. “I was hungry and couldn’t stay in the room.”

 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Niall admonished.

 

Liam stared at the two.

 

“Who’s this?”

 

“Oh, sorry. How rude of me. I’m Zayn, Niall’s boyfriend.” Zayn got up from his seat and walked over to Liam, reaching his hand out to shake Liam’s.

 

Liam looked like he didn’t quite know how to react, and just awkwardly grasped Zayn’s outstretched hand, pumping it once and abruptly letting go. “Liam.”

 

“The neighbour,” Zayn smiled, all perfect teeth and crinkly eyes. Niall’s stomach flipped. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Niall.”

 

His mind was racing, and he felt like a deer caught in headlights. How the hell was he suppose to explain how he met Zayn? He’d tried so hard to keep Zayn separate from the rest of his life, but it proved to be futile.

 

“Uh..cool.” Liam was clearly uncomfortable, and Niall wanted nothing more than to shuffle him out of his apartment and go back to eating brunch with Zayn and forget about the entire ordeal. “So how long have you and Niall...uh..been together?”

 

“A week,” Zayn beamed, reaching to pull Niall into a hug, his larger frame engulfing Niall’s smaller body.

 

“A week,” Liam repeated out loud to himself, eyeing the couple with an expression Niall was unable to read. Realisation flashed through his eyes as he repeated the words. Niall began to worry. “I’ll leave you two to your meal then. Bye Niall. I’ll tell my mom you’re doing well.”

 

And he left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Leaving Niall with Zayn who was still hugging him, and was now pressing kisses to his head.

 

“You smell nice,” Zayn commented, kissing his hair once more before peeling himself off the blond.

 

“Thanks,” Niall says offhandedly, not quite registering Zayn’s words. “Let’s go back to eating?”

 

“Yeah,” Zayn smiled.

 

He was always smiling, Niall noticed. He had a nice smile, always genuine. He really liked the way he smiled, how it reached his eyes and made them crinkle at the sides, and how he would always flash his row of perfect teeth, and just how happy he looked. And yeah, maybe Niall does pay too much attention to the way Zayn looks.

 

“I’ve got so much homework to do,” Niall grumbled once they were done their meal.

 

Zayn frowned.

 

“So you won’t be able to cuddle on the couch with me and watch TV?”

 

“Yeah,” Niall answered sadly.

 

“I don’t like that you’re spending so much time on school, and when you’re not, you’re at school. We should do more things together.”

 

“I wish you could come to school with me,” Niall said wistfully. Then he really wanted to take that back, but it was too late.

 

“Really?” Zayn perked up. “You want me at school with you?”

 

“Y-yeah,” Niall admitted, cause well, having Zayn at school wouldn’t be so bad, right? Of course he’d have (a lot) a little bit of explanation to do as to how him and Zayn are together and such, but that can easily be worked out. But, the main issue here was, Zayn didn’t have any ID. Well, the real issue was that Zayn wasn’t an actual person.

 

“Sweet! I can call FabLovers and have them arrange something!” Zayn announced, giddy with excitement.

 

Niall eyed Zayn curiously. He had a feeling Zayn had been planning this (just like how he had planned to make out with him before breakfast). But for how long exactly had Zayn been thinking this over?

 

“Alright.. Uh..you go do that, I’ll just..do my homework.”

 

Not actually taking Zayn seriously that FabLovers can arrange something (like c’mon, they’re a freaking sex company, what else can they do?), Niall went on to do his homework.

 

The rest of the weekend passed like a breeze without any further unannounced visits from Liam or any further bringing up on the topic of Zayn going to school with Niall.

 

Come Monday morning, Niall was doing his usual routine, woke up, and got dressed. He was met with Zayn (fully dressed in Greg’s clothes, Niall noted), and was served bacon and eggs (Niall’s favourite).

 

Zayn cheerily greeted Niall as he sat at the dining table, still grouchy from sleep. The taller lad was just retelling the tale of a show he saw on TV the night before (cause apparently robots can eat, drink, have sex, take showers, and cook but can’t sleep) when the doorbell rang.

 

Again? Niall thought. He grumbled under his breath and wondered what the hell Liam could want from him this early in the morning.

 

“What?” he asked, annoyed, as he opened the door.

 

But it wasn’t Liam. It was the delivery guy from FabLovers.

 

“It seems I always come at a bad time,” the guy (Louis, Niall recalls) said. He was grinning, and in his hands held a thick folder.

 

“Um, how may I help you?” Niall asked, unsure of what else to say.

 

Out of nowhere, Zayn popped up beside Niall, happily greeting Louis as if they’d known each other forever (which, in Niall’s memory, this would be the first time they’ve met).

 

“Louis!”

 

“Hey Zayn!”

 

“Have you got it?”

 

“Yeah, here.” Louis motioned towards the folder he held.

 

Niall eyed the two curiously. What in the world was going on?

 

“My apologies, Niall,” Louis said. “May I come in for a while to explain some things to you?”

 

And without Niall actually saying yes, Louis strut right by them and made himself comfortable at the dining table. Pushing aside the mostly empty plates, he lay out the contents from the folder.

 

“Niall, Louis here has found a way to let me go to school with you,” Zayn said excitedly, pulling Niall with him to sit at the table.

 

This sparked Niall’s interest. How had a company that specialised in making sex toys and robots figured out how to get Zayn an identity?

 

“Okay,” Louis started. “First off, no one else must know that Zayn here is a lover model, got that?”

 

Niall nodded, straightening up in his seat. Suddenly Louis was all business and no smiles.

 

“So, here is Zayn’s driver’s licence. His birth certificate and proof of citizenship are in the folder. We’ve already registered him at your school, and boy are your school fees off the roof. All you have to do is send him to get his timetable from the office. You’re all set.”

 

Niall stared at Louis. What? How the hell? And this was all for free? No way.

 

“You look confused,” Louis noted. “Well, okay, there kinda is a catch. It’s not really a catch but it is.”

 

Niall just stared. This was getting more and more confusing by the second.

 

“So basically Zayn here would have to help us collect data for our future lover models. He already knows what he’s supposed to do. We’d discussed this with him on the phone on Saturday.”

 

Niall looked at Zayn. Zayn shrugged. He was smiling as he fiddled with his driver’s licence. Niall sighed. If this made Zayn happy, then why not?

 

“Zayn, here’s the ring,” Louis said, gaining Zayn’s attention and tossing a plain looking ring at him.

 

Zayn caught it (no surprise there).

 

“What’s that for?” Niall asked.

 

“I’ll be using it to collect data,” Zayn replied.

 

“The ring basically registers emotions received from the action done by Zayn,” Louis explains. “So if Zayn does something, let’s say, smile, the ring registers the emotions of those around him. This helps us know what to do and what not to do when programming our future models. What our customers would like and what they wouldn’t. And what better place to collect data than a school of rich, snobby teenagers?”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Don’t worry, darling, we’re not gonna make Zayn do anything you don’t want.”

 

Niall blushed. He didn’t even think about that.

 

“We’ll be collecting that kind of data from you, love.”

 

Niall blushed harder. Can Louis get any more blunt?

 

“So that’s it. You guys better be on your way to school lest you be late on your first day. If you need anything, call me,” Louis said, getting up and handing Niall his name card. And with that, he left.

 

Niall just looked at Zayn.

 

Zayn looked back.

 

“What should I bring to school?”

 


	8. Chapter 7

“Zayn..Malik?” the secretary at the front office asks when Niall and Zayn walk in.

 

“Yeah,” Zayn answers.

 

“So here’s your timetable and your student card. Your locker information should be on your timetable. Your friend here should be able to show you around.”

 

Zayn flashed the lady a smile as he took the package from her. “Thank you.”

 

Niall swore he saw the woman blush a little. He internally rolled his eyes. He should’ve seen that coming; Zayn going to school and charming everyone off their pants (or skirts).

 

 _How would Harry react to this?_ Niall wondered, thinking about how popular his best friend was, and how everyone loved him. He was easily the most popular person in his grade, and one of the most popular in their school. Would his popularity be replaced by Zayn’s? It’ll be interesting to find out.

 

“Can I see your timetable?” Niall asked Zayn when they were out of the office.

 

“Sure.”

 

Niall’s eyes widened.

 

“You’re a senior?”

 

Zayn shrugged, eyes scanning his timetable over Niall’s shoulder.

 

“I guess.”

 

“Okay, whatever. I was hoping we’d have classes together,” Niall said before he realised what he was actually saying.  

 

His eyes widened.

 

“I mean, so I could y’know, have an eye on you,” he tried to correct himself, not wanting to sound too attached.

 

But Zayn didn’t care, wrapping his arms around Niall.

 

“It’s okay, I want to have classes with you as well. At least we have lunch together.”

 

 _Yeah, that_ , Niall thought. How the hell was he supposed to introduce Zayn to Harry? No doubt Harry’s gonna hit on Zayn the minute he sets eyes on the Lover Model. Imagine Harry’s surprise when he finds out that Zayn is actually Niall’s boyfriend. Would Zayn even want Harry to know? Would Zayn want anyone to know?

 

“You’re worrying about something, babe,” Zayn whispered into his ear, taking his timetable out of Niall’s hands.”Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I could ask around for help if I can’t find my way, yeah?”

 

Niall nodded. That wasn’t what he was worried about, but it was concerning as well. The warning bell rang.

 

“What’s this bell for?”

 

“It means we have five minutes before class starts,” Niall informs Zayn, sighing. “You can get to your locker during lunch. For now let’s just try and find your first class.”

 

***

 

By lunchtime, Niall’s head was spinning at all the different possibilities that could’ve happened to Zayn.

 

What if someone swept Zayn off his feet and made Zayn fall in love with them?

 

What if someone decided to kidnap Zayn?

 

What if Zayn met _those_ druggies?

 

What if, what if, what if…

 

But he didn’t have to fret for very much longer. The bell rang and he immediately gathered his stuff and dashed out of the class, only to crash into someone right outside the door.

 

“ _Fuck_ , I’m so sorry!” Niall rambled automatically, offering a hand to the person who’d fallen on the ground.

 

It was only when their hands came in contact that Niall realised who it was.

 

“Oh, Josh! I’m so so sorry! I swear to god I didn’t see you!”

 

“No it’s fine,” Josh reassured him, pulling himself up with Niall’s help. “Someone was a little eager about lunch.”

 

Niall blushed.

 

“I was just trying to find some-”

 

“Niall!” a familiar voice called.

 

“-one.”

 

“Guess they found you first,” Josh smirked. (Niall almost passed out.) “See ya later. I gotta run.”

 

Niall sighed dreamily before turning to face Zayn.

 

“How was your morning?” he managed to ask amidst his daze. He felt starstruck, literally. He was just hit with a wave of attractiveness from Josh fucking Devine. He got _smiled_ at by Josh Devine, he should be allowed a moment to recuperate.

 

“Great!” Zayn grinned, reaching to take Niall’s binder out of his hands. “I had English Lit. first period and everyone was so nice! Advanced Calculus was wonderful as well!”

 

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. How about some lunch now?”

 

“Yeah! Do I get to buy something from the cafeteria?”

 

“Yes,” Niall laughed.

 

“I can’t wait! Can you take me to my locker now?”

 

“Yes, Zayn,” Niall smiled.

 

Honestly, Zayn was so amusing. It was cute how he was so excited about _everything_. Well, then again, _enthusiastic_ was one of the character traits he checked off when he filled in the order form.

 

***

 

“Woah there, Niall, who’s hottie over here?”

 

 _Here it goes_ , Niall groaned internally. He loved his best friend, but it really bothered him how Harry always jumped every single attractive person that came his way. Without waiting for Niall or Zayn to speak up, Harry proceeded to empty the spot beside him, pushing away the girl that was practically sitting on his lap just moments ago. His game face was on; it was obvious his new target was Zayn.

 

“Hey hot-stuff,” Harry purred. “You can sit with me over here.”

 

“Thanks, but I’m sitting with Niall,” Zayn said, flashing an apologetic smile at Harry.

 

Niall felt his heart swell. Zayn chose him over _Harry Styles_. That’s gotta count as a life achievement, right?

 

His happiness was short-lived. He caught Harry frowning curiously at him, and he immediately felt bad. But why should he feel bad? He didn’t do anything wrong. He set his tray down on the table, getting in the seat beside Zayn who’d already began eating.

 

“So, Niall, care to introduce?” Harry spoke again, this time directly at Niall.

 

“This is, uh, Zayn..” Niall said, unsure of how else to introduce Zayn.

 

“Nice to meet you, Zayn,” Harry said, reaching his hand across the table. “‘Mname’s Harry.”

 

Zayn clasped it easily, smiling as usual as he shook it. “Nice to meet you too, Harry.”

 

“I’m Niall’s best friend, and I’ve known him since _forever_ ,” Harry informed Zayn.

 

“I like your accent,” Zayn said, causing the grin on Harry’s face to grow wider. “I’m Niall’s boyfriend.”

 

Harry’s face fell immediately, his jaw dropped so low it nearly touched the table.

 

“What?” Niall wasn’t sure who said it, but he was glad they did cause that’s exactly what’s going on in his mind. Their lunch table went quiet (a very unusual occurrence).

 

“Yeah,” Zayn replied (it was Harry). “For a week already.”

 

“Niall,” Harry said, his voice strained. “Why wasn’t I informed of this? Aren’t I supposed to be your best friend?”

 

“Uh.. I didn’t know how to tell you?”

 

Niall gulped. Why can’t this be over soon? Zayn’s hand had somehow found it’s way around Niall’s waist, and Niall was suddenly pressed too close to Zayn’s body.

 

“I wasn’t ready to come out yet,” Zayn supplied.

 

Niall stared up at Zayn in awe. Was Zayn lying to cover for him?

 

“Oh, I see,” Harry said, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “Well, that would explain why Niall’d been ‘busy’ after school for the whole of last week!”

 

“Yeah, sorry for taking up his time,” Zayn apologised, his hand rubbing circles into Niall’s hip, relaxing him.

 

“So how’d you guys meet?”

 

“Our dads are friends,” Zayn answered before Niall could even began racking his mind for one. Since when did Zayn get so good at coming up with stories? “We actually met two weeks ago.”

 

“Cool.” Harry couldn’t be bothered anymore. He didn’t even look interested, and Niall felt a wave of relief wash over him. Thank god.

 

“Is that why you won’t flirt with Josh Devine?” Harry asked, his eyes glinting.

 

Niall groaned. Ugh. “ _No_ … I just..it’s not like it’d ever happen, alright? Besides, I have Zayn.”

 

“Who’s Josh Devine?” Zayn asked innocently.

 

“Oh, just some jock on the football team,” Harry replied before Niall could say anything. Niall frowned. What did Harry want now?

 

“Oh. Is he the quarterback?”

 

“No,” Harry laughed. “Not that kind of football. I meant soccer. Back in England, we call it football.”

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it Zayn,” Niall says. “He doesn’t like me.”

 

“Yeah. Okay.”

 

 _Do robots get jealous?_ was all Niall wondered throughout the rest of lunch. Thankfully Harry let the subject drop and never brought it up again. And he also set his eyes on a new conquest, which was also a plus.

 


	9. Chapter 8

When they got home that day, Zayn immediately set to make dinner for the both of them.

 

“Don’t you have homework?” Niall asked.

 

“Yeah,” Zayn replied. “But you’re more important.”

 

Niall wished that Zayn wouldn’t be so sweet, it was impossible to be upset over this robot. He always knew what to say to make Niall’s heart pound. Niall hated that his heart was so easily swayed by this robot.

 

One minute he was completely smitten and in love with Josh Devine, the next moment he wants to throw himself at the perfection that is Zayn Malik. Ugh, teenage hormones suck balls.

 

He felt his phone vibrate in his pants. It was a text from Liam.

 

_I herd yr byfrnd goes t our schl now._

 

Niall stared at the screen. Despite being an ace student, Liam was crap at texting, and just the idea of spelling in general. Besides, what was it to Liam that Zayn attended Richmond Hill?

 

And then, _my parnts r awy fr te wknd. im planng on hvng a prty wth a coupl of teh guys on the soccer tem. invte peple alng?_

 

It was a struggle to decipher Liam’s texts, but after years of reading through unreadable messages, Niall managed to get what Liam wanted to tell him. It was a fairly normal thing, a couple jocks having a party in the middle of the year and inviting pretty much anyone along.

 

This definitely wasn’t the first time Niall had partied (or in this case, been invited to a party) at Liam’s place. As mentioned earlier, his friends didn’t know that Liam and him were neighbours and childhood friends, so he wasn’t quite sure how to tell Harry (one of his few friends, if not only friend) that they’re invited to Liam’s party.

 

Whatever. Harry had some kind of idea that Liam and him knew each other.

 

 _Sure_ , he texted back before locking his phone and stowing it away in his pocket. He had homework to do.

  
  


***

  
  


Dinner (prepared by Zayn) was strangely quiet. There was less of the usual chatter of amusement from Zayn and more silent eating from the two. Niall didn’t know what it was, but he could feel the sullenness oozing from the robot. It was unusual, and gave him a bitter feeling in his guts. Something was up, and it was apparent that Zayn didn’t want to talk about it.

 

“What’s wrong?” Niall finally brings himself to ask when he could no longer stand the unnerving silence between them.

 

“How do you join a sports team?” Zayn asks instead.

 

Niall just stared. _What? Had he been brooding about this the whole time?_

 

Zayn cocks his head expectantly at Niall.

 

“Well, you have to go for try-outs I guess,” Niall answers. “I don’t know much, but like Liam should be more familiar with it. There are usually announcements made before try-outs..”

 

“Ah. I see. Thank you.”

 

The question was quickly forgotten and the rest of the meal returned to the usual cheeriness.

 

“We started on a group project for English,” Zayn says happily. “I’m with these girls from my class and they’re really nice.”

 

“That’s great, Zayn,” Niall smiled glad that Zayn somehow found school amusing.

 

“Oh! And, um, they asked for my number, but I don’t have a phone so I gave them yours instead.”

 

Niall dropped his fork. “You..what?”

 

“Yeah. Sorry, Ni.”

 

“I guess we should get you a phone. It’s strange for a teenager to not have a mobile, especially in our school,” Niall sighed. He somehow felt like a young parent being thrust with the responsibility of raising a child. In his case, a child that mostly took care of him and was larger than him in more than one aspect.

 

“Could we go now?” Zayn asked excitedly.

 

“Sure, after we’re done with dinner, alright?”

 

And so, the pair set off to get Zayn a cellphone after they were done their meal. They ended their day on a light note, with Zayn attempting to squeeze into bed with Niall (but was, as usual, rejected).

  
  



	10. Chapter 9

“I think I have Fitness with Liam,” Zayn says to Niall during lunch the following day.

 

Niall nearly choked on his apple. Can there ever be a day where Zayn doesn’t end up indirectly shocking him with his words?

 

“Um.. Really?” Niall says instead.

 

Harry (thank goodness) was caught up in discussing some party that would soon take place during the weekend (presumably Liam’s party) with Michael and Calum and didn’t pay attention to what Niall and Zayn were discussing.

 

“Yeah. He said there’s gonna be soccer try-outs after school. I wanna go.”

 

Niall eyed Zayn strangely. Why the sudden interest in sports? From the one week they’d been together, Zayn would always avoid the sports channels and groan in annoyance every time sports teams were brought up during commercials.

 

 _Maybe he was the type that liked having the action instead of watching the action_ , Niall reasoned.

 

“Would you need forms or something?” Niall asked.

 

“Yeah. They could be found on the school website on PDF. I already texted Louis about it. He’s gonna sign and email me the forms. I’d just have to print them out in the library some time before the try-outs.”

 

“I didn’t know you had an email.” Niall frowned. He doesn’t even recall Zayn having a computer. That should be a concern, shouldn’t it? Every kid in Richmond Hill had a laptop of some sort even though it wasn’t required for the students to have their own computer. But this was a private school, after all. It wasn’t a surprise that most people were rich and snobbish. Niall included.

 

“Oh, I meant like, mail it to me using  _FabLover_ ’s intranet and then I can just send it to the school’s intranet system.”

 

“What’s intranet?”

 

Zayn stared at Niall as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, his eyebrows raised critically. “How do you not know what intranet is?”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m shit at technology,” Niall mumbled, cheeks heating up. It’s not his fault he wasn’t like regular guys who geeked about computers and video games.

 

Without warning, Zayn pulled him in a bone-crushing hug. “You’re too adorable, oh my god.”

 

“Zayn!” Niall gasped, squirming in the larger boy’s grip.

 

“I was just kidding, but oh lord, you’re so cute,” Zayn said as he pulled away, eyes staring adoringly at Niall.

 

He turned his face away, flushing even more. Niall was sure he was redder than a tomato now. Zayn’s hand reached to cup his cheek gently as he pressed a kiss on his other side. Harry’s gagging could be heard in a distance, but Niall wasn’t there anymore. He felt like he was watching a movie scene in slow-motion from someone else’s point of view. It gave him a warm fuzzy feeling inside when Zayn pulled his face closer to kiss him on the nose.

 

“You’re perfect,” he heard Zayn whisper, but he barely registered it. He was still tingling from the two kisses and he thinks he’s frozen with the amount of electricity pumped in him.

 

“Now if the two of you are quite done making me want to puke rainbows,” Harry cleared his throat, with no trace of venom in his voice. The whole table had their attention on Harry, and now all eyes were on Niall for Harry had his focus on the blond.

 

Niall immediately snapped back to himself, turning his body to face Harry. Zayn pulled Niall closer so that their bodies were pressed together and they were practically molded into one. He felt himself practically melt into Zayn’s touch. How does Zayn make him feel so warm and loved so effortlessly?

 

Harry looked almost bored when Niall finally met his gaze, but he brushed it aside, focusing his attention on what Harry was planning on saying.

 

“So..there’s a party this weekend at one of the soccer player’s place. I expect all of you to be there. And by all of you I mean Niall.” He sent a pointed look at the blond who began blushing. Niall had a track record of not turning up to parties he’d previously agreed on attending. It wasn’t his fault he forgets easily and needed Harry (who wasn’t always there) to constantly remind him. But now he has Zayn, so things should be different, right?

 

“It’s the first important party of the year,” Harry continued.

 

“What’s the party for?” Zayn asked, his voice vibrating in his chest where Niall could feel. Niall decides that he likes the feeling of having Zayn’s voice reverberate through his body.

 

“You must be new,” Harry drawled, amusement flickering through his face. “Does it really matter what the party’s for as long as there’s booze involved and we’re invited?”

 

Niall tilted his head to get a better view of Zayn’s face. The android had his nose scrunched in distaste and he looked a little cross.

 

“I don’t think I’d like being at something like that,” Zayn finally said. “Teenagers and alcohol are never a good thing.”

 

“It’s fine,” Harry sighed. “It’s not like you  _have_ to be there. I’m just asking for  _Niall_ to come.”

 

“Niall’s not going without me,” Zayn said firmly, his grip on the younger boy tightening protectively.

 

“Aw,” Perrie, another member of Harry’s crew, cooed. “The two of you are so cute!”

 

“Hush, Pez,” Harry chided. “Go back to fangirling over your boybands. We don’t need your input on this matter.”

 

It had always fascinated Niall to no end how Harry can be so demanding and so imposing yet still be charming and adored by those he were unkind to. He was an enigma, and he was kind of like a famous person. He acted like he owned everything, like he was the prince of England (which was occasionally how he would introduce himself).

 

“Look here, hot stuff,” Harry spoke to Zayn, voice laced with venom, eyes narrowing dangerously. “I knew Niall before you did. Just because you get to be in his pants doesn’t mean shit. I call the shots here, and if I say Niall’s going, then he is.”

 

Niall was stuck. He wanted to reassure Zayn that it was Liam’s party and nothing could go wrong there because Liam wasn’t the type to let anything get out of control. But he couldn’t. He wanted to tell Harry to back off and to stop snapping at his boyfriend and that he could make his own decisions. But he couldn’t. Somehow his mouth felt dry despite the lingering taste of the apple he still held in his hand.

 

Never before had anyone fought over him like this. He didn’t have many friends as a child, and Harry had been his closest friend. They were always together. Harry and Niall. Niall and Harry. Besides, no one wanted (or dared to, rather) to challenge Harry’s authority or steal any of Harry’s friends. His domineering personality proved to be a defense mechanism as well as an offensive stance in addition to his elegant height.

 

Harry was tall, but not in a way that was disproportionate and made him appear scrawny, no. He was tall, but he wasn’t lanky. He wasn’t particularly built like Josh or Zayn, or even Liam, were. He somehow made do with his height, his long legs and slim torso, and appeared good with everything he wore.

 

His presence, though, was another story altogether. Harry had always been the one to protect Niall when they were younger. Had it not been for him, Niall was sure he would’ve been bullied terribly in elementary school and on the playgrounds.

 

He hated this feeling. He couldn’t defend his boyfriend against Harry, because that would be betraying Harry, and yet he couldn’t defend Harry against Zayn for that would be abandoning Zayn.

 

“Guys, stop,” Niall found himself saying. “It’s just a party. It’s no big deal.”

 

“Yes, it is a big deal!” Zayn and Harry said at the same time. Niall looked between the two, slowly peeling himself away from Zayn’s hold. His eyes were wide, and he was slightly scared. Zayn and Harry, two compelling forces of nature in his life were clashing. He had to get away. Glancing at his phone that lay on the table in front of him, he registered that he still had forty more minutes before the lunch period was over. No way was he gonna spend forty minutes in a high-tension zone and risk the chances of being crushed amidst the fight. The saying was that when elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. Yup, he was the grass and they were the elephants. The feeling of powerlessness in the midst of larger forces was terrifying.

 

“I think the two of you should sort this out,” Niall said tentatively, pocketing his phone as subtly as he could. “I’ll just..go for a walk. I have math to catch up on anyways. See ya!”

 

And with that, he took off, ignoring the calls of his name from Harry and Zayn, his lunch forgotten. He’d end up regretting not finishing his lunch later on, but for now he was safe. Mostly.


	11. Chapter 10

His first destination was his locker. He didn’t exactly have a clear goal in mind of what to do after grabbing the necessary items for his next classes, but roughly, his plan was just to roam the hallways and appear casual and occupied.

Slinging his backpack on his shoulder and slamming his locker shut, Niall plugged in his headphones and shot Zayn a quick text to  _meet at my locker after school._

Walking and texting was never a good idea. Walking and texting in a highschool hallway was even worse. Niall barely looked up from his phone before he found himself sprawled on the floor.

“Second time this week, Niall,” a warm voice said to him, a hand reached out to help him up. He found himself blushing hard when he saw that it was Josh.

_Oh god_ , Niall thought,  _he must think I’m such a klutz._

“S-sorry,” he stuttered, unable to meet Josh’s eyes.

“Jesus Niall, you haven’t changed at all.”

And Niall noticed for the first time that Liam was there as well.

“Neither have you, baldy,” Niall replied snarkily, then clamping his mouth shut, eyes widening.  _Shit, not only am I a klutz to Josh, I am also mean to his best friend. Way to go, Niall._

The hearty chuckle from Josh said otherwise. Liam was frowning, but that didn’t matter. What was more important was that he managed to make Josh laugh.

“ _Gosh_ , nice! Baldy; haven’t heard that one before. Liam, where have you been hiding this one? We should have met  _ages_  ago to come up with better shit-names for Liam!”

If he wasn’t blushing already, he was definitely blushing now. Josh Devine just  _complimented_  him. He can legitimately die in peace right now.

“Trust me,” Liam said tantalizingly. “You  _really_  don’t want to have anything to do with this one.”

“Rude!” Niall glared at Liam. What the hell was he trying to pull?

“You were the one who started it!”

“In my defence, you never let your hair grow out beyond half an inch.”

“Now, now, children,” Josh chided. “Let’s not all fight for Josh’s attention.”

“Fuck off, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Liam snorted.

Ignoring Liam, Josh turned to face Niall fully. “Where’s your usual entourage? You’re all alone today.”

“Yeah. Where’s Harry? And Zayn?” Liam asked.

“Uh. I kinda left them. They’re having a slight squabble at the moment.”  

Somehow, it was strange, talking about his boyfriend in front of Josh, the boy he wants to date. He hasn’t quite gotten used to the idea that he’s dating Zayn (or supposed to be dating Zayn).

“Lemme guess.. they’re fighting over you?” Liam smirks knowingly.

“Ehm. Yeah, actually.”

“Wait, isn’t Zayn that new kid in our fitness class?” Josh asked.

“Yeah, him.”

“Did you know him before he enrolled?” The question was directed to Niall.

“Yeah, ehm, we’re dating actually..”He wasn’t sure how Josh would take it. Did gay people make Josh uncomfortable?

“Did he transfer because of you? That’s so sweet.”

Wanting to change the topic, Niall turned his attention to Liam instead.

“Harry was talking about your party earlier. He said it was mandatory for me to come.”

“Really? You’re gonna be there anyways. He does know we like practically live across the hall from each other, right?”

“You do?” Josh looked between Liam and Niall. “So you mean all this time I’ve been going over to your place and we were a couple steps away from Niall? How sick!”

“I don’t quite comprehend your fascination with Niall,” Liam said, frowning. “We should get going. We haven’t eaten yet.”

“Why don’t you come with us, Niall?” Josh asked.

Niall felt like he was gonna burst. Josh. Was. Asking. Him. To. Eat. With. Them. (Or well, sit with them, but you know, technicalities.) When did he get this lucky?

“Definitely.”

So caught up with his happiness, Niall failed to feel his phone buzzing away in his pocket.

  


***

  


It was only when the last bell rang that Niall bothered to pull out his phone when he got to his locker to check if Zayn had replied to the text he sent out during lunch. His eyes widened as he scanned over the list of missed calls and unread texts. He didn’t even have to check to know that he had some voice messages waiting for him as well.

The first couple were from Harry.

_niall horan where art thou_

__

_come hither_

__

_you little shit get your pale self over here before i make an announcement to get you over the pa system._

__

_okay fine. ignore me. but your boy toy and i have came to a compromise. he might speak to you about it. idk. talk to you tom. adieu_

Harry’s texts were often a mix of old English and franglais. He was a confusing one, but Niall was used to him. He fired off a quick  _sorry just saw this. it’s great that you and zayn are somewhat okay now. talk to you tomorrow, bro._

Moving on. The next twenty or so (basically every other missed call and unread text) were from Zayn. Niall felt a pang of guilt in his heart.  _Why do I feel as if I just abandoned a puppy?_

Shrugging his thoughts off, he proceeded to check his messages from Zayn.

_Niall?_

__

_Where are you? Shall I come look for you?_

__

_Oh okay I’ll see you then._

__

_Have a good day! (:_

__

_I love you!! ♥♥♥♥_

__

Niall felt his heart clench and his breath quicken. Zayn says that to him everyday. _I love you_. He says it so offhandedly and casually and uses those three words as almost every punctuation, but some how would never fail to make Niall’s heart pound.

“Niall! I missed you!”

And he was enveloped in a warm hug. He didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. Zayn. Lovely Zayn. Perfect Zayn who smelt exactly like Greg’s aftershave ( _why does a robot use aftershave????_ ) but somehow makes him smell sexy and alluring instead of husky and overly masculine (like his brother, dear god).

“Mmm,” Niall hummed appreciatively. “Missed you too.”

And yeah, he did. He actually found himself missing Zayn a lot during the day. He tentatively looped his arms around the taller boy’s torso, breathing in the scent of Zayn. Maybe it was the lack of _eros_  that he’d received in the past (which is basically none) that he’d grown so overly attached and accustomed to having Zayn constantly showering him with love.

“Try-outs start in like, ten minutes,” Zayn says as he pulled away from Niall reluctantly. “I’ve got my form ready to go. Would you stay with me?”

“Yeah sure,” Niall nodded. “What time would it end?”

“I’m not sure.” Zayn frowned, as if that really was a concerning issue. It was cute, really, how he took everything so seriously.

“Don’t worry about it,” Niall assured. “I don’t have much homework to do anyways.”

“Yeah okay. Wait for me at the bleachers? I need to get changed. I’ll be quick!”

  


***

  


Soccer try-outs had always been a thing Niall intensely avoided. Or pretty much any of the school’s athletic activities. Apart from that one time he joined the dodgeball intramurals on Harry’s team (it was a fleeting moment and didn’t last very long as their team got creamed during the first game), he didn’t particularly like the notion of being competitive and getting sweaty for no apparent reason. (Gym was a different story. You were supposed to have fun and play friendly matches there and not be in gym to pulverise the opposing team.)

But sitting on the bleachers and watching the boys’ soccer try-outs? Niall like that. Oh, and he especially liked that half the boys were shirtless by the half hour mark. And most of these guys (ie; Zayn) were incredibly hot (and not to mention  _ripped_ ). Hot, shirtless boys that also happen to be sweaty and running around on the field was gay boy heaven. Or at least it was Niall heaven.

He was sitting by himself on the bleachers, his homework out but untouched, and his eyes were glued on the field. He paid particular attention to a certain robot boy (who, might we add, happens to be doing exceptionally well and managing to score the goals with much accuracy and make incredible passes). Niall was impressed by Zayn.

_Well,_  he thought,  _I really shouldn’t be this impressed considering he’s kinda factory made to be athletic and everyone knows machines are way better than humans when it comes to physical activity_. And it was true. Niall witnessed it first-hand today. Zayn was indeed faster and more agile than the boys who attended the try-out, and the blond couldn’t help but notice how Zayn still managed to look fresh and energised by the time the try-outs are nearly over when nearly everyone looked like they were about to pass out on the spot.

“You did so great today!” Niall gushed when Zayn walked over to him once try-outs were done and the coach (Higgins, Niall’s gym teacher who gave him a judgemental look when Niall told him he wasn’t trying out) debriefed the boys. It was past six by the time try-outs were over, and the sky was starting to darken.

“Thanks.” Zayn beamed at Niall, smile wide and radiating pure joy. He looks so freaking accomplished and happy that Niall couldn’t help but feel the happiness filling him up as well.

“I’m so proud of you! You scored like, half the goals there! You’re definitely gonna make the team!”

“I hope so!” Zayn grinned, perfect teeth flashing.

He sniffed himself experimentally, and grimaced.

“Don’t feel like changing now,” Zayn said distastefully. “I’ll probably just go back and shower.”

Niall hummed in reply, picking up his backpack and gesturing to Zayn’s. “Ready to go?”

And before Zayn could answer, Liam and Josh (yes Josh, whom Niall  _completely_  forgot about while oggling Zayn) approached them, their gym bags slung across their shoulders. (It seems jocks only use gym bags to carry their belongings because they think they’re too cool for backpacks.)

“Hey man,” Liam said to Zayn. “Great play today.”

“Thanks,” Zayn said, smile warm.

“Yeah, dude, you were awesome. Where have you been all this time? Did you play league before?” Josh asked.

“Uh.. no..? I’ve just..played a little here and there,” Zayn shrugged.

“Well,  _shit_. If this is how’re you’re like with ‘playing a little’ imagine how good you’d actually be with proper coaching and stuff,” Josh rambled.

“Yeah, so anyways,” Liam said, sounding a little annoyed. Niall could tell, Liam was doing this thing with his hands that he usually did when he didn’t have the patience to explain certain things to Niall (this was all when they were very much younger and Niall and Liam actually hung out occasionally). “Josh and I are heading over to my place. I could give you guys a ride home if you like.”

Niall looked at Zayn for confirmation before nodding his head. “Yeah sure.”  _This was a first._

Never in his entire existence had Liam offered to give him a ride home. It was quite a strange feeling, to be honest. Niall didn’t know how to take this, but decided to ignore the strangeness bubbling inside him and the itch to ask Liam  _why now_? Getting a ride definitely beats taking the bus and walking home.

Niall is over sixteen but never actually learnt how to drive. He’d got his learner’s on his sixteenth birthday, and that was only because it was a written test. Besides, having a driver’s licence would be convenient at times when he was required to show some sort of ID.

“Kay, you guys go ahead first,” Liam said, tossing his keys to Josh who caught them effortlessly. “I need to talk to Higgins for a while.”

And then there were three. They made their way towards the nearly empty parking lot, Niall and Zayn trailing behind Josh. Niall had never seen Liam’s car. To be fair, it was always parked in the underground parking lot of their condo and Niall never really had any reason to be looking for Liam’s car before today.

Which was why Josh started laughing as they neared the vehicle Josh had been leading them to; a pickup truck.

“Good god,” Josh wheezed, earning a slight frown from Zayn and a look of confusion from Niall. “That isn’t Liam’s car. Don’t you remember what it looks like?”

“No,” Niall frowned, wrinkling his nose distastefully at the condition of the pickup truck. “I haven’t seen his car at all.”

“Well that’s bull.”

“Is not.”

“You guys like, live across from each other. Hasn’t he ever given you a ride before?” Josh asked curiously.

He had led the two to Liam’s actual car by now, and had gotten into the passenger seat after unlocking the car.

“Um, no. This is the first time actually.”

“Then does Zayn give you a ride?”

“No.” Niall frowned. It was a regular thing at their school (a school for the rich and privileged) to ask about how much one’s family is making per capita per year, and when is one going to get that new car that has yet to be released. People without their own car; now that’s a rare sight to see. For Niall, it was a choice not to drive (it was also because he didn’t know how to drive, but that aside..). But he can’t be the one answering for Zayn.

“My father took away my car privileges,” Zayn said mournfully, surprising Niall yet again.  _How does he keep coming up with these very realistic stories?_

“That sucks man,” Josh empathised. “For how long?”

“Til grad,” Zayn grumbled. He was so convincing, Niall almost found himself believing that Zayn was a normal boy with a normal family.

“Oh wow. You must’ve pissed him off big time.”

“Got my last car crashed pretty badly,” Zayn shrugged.

The driver’s door opened and Liam climbed in, tossing his gym bag over to Josh. He started the ignition and began to drive.

“Yo man, you should like, I don’t know, give these two a ride to school every morning or something,” Josh said to Liam once they’d hit the freeway.

Niall found himself blushing. Was Josh advocating for him?

“Zayn here got his car rights taken away.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah you should,” Josh affirmed. “Don’t think Niall has a car. Do you?”

“Nah. Don’t know how to drive,” Niall said.

“Yeah, c’mon man. It’s not like you’re gonna have to go out of your way or anything.”

“True about Niall,” Liam said. “But what about Zayn? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t live with Niall.”

“Wouldn’t be weird if he did though,” Josh commented.

Niall found his hands already wrapped in Zayn’s gentle grip. He liked it, liked the feeling of someone holding his hand. A simple gesture, yet something that made him incredibly happy. A bit like that one Beatles’ song.

“Oh, Zayn, do we have to drop you off somewhere?” Liam asked.

“Nah. I’m just spending dinner with Niall tonight.”

Niall felt himself warm up at the thought of dinner with Zayn. They’d had almost every meal together, and it’s wonderful to eat with someone with you. It feels very domestic, yet it was a warm and welcoming feeling. It was something Niall never really got to experience much as a child growing up with his parents constantly away and his brother only ordering take-out or occasionally leaving something for him on the dining table; never quite eating together.

“Don’t forget to use protection, please,” Josh joked.

“Yeah. Don’t want any ‘17 and pregnant’ stories spreading around in school,” Liam smirked through the rear-view mirror.

“Niall can’t get pregnant,” Zayn frowned. Niall wanted to laugh at how seriously Zayn was taking this, and at the same time he wanted to bury himself in a hole and never emerge again.

_I can’t believe we’re having a conversation about sex. A conversation with Josh fucking Devine and Liam._

He shook his head and leaned against Zayn for the rest of the journey, fingers interlaced together.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and sticking with us! It's the tenth chapter! (oh my god we can't believe we've actually came this far.) If you haven't already, please leave a kudos behind! It means a lot to the both of us if you do! And please please please leave us comments telling us what you think? Those really encourage us to write. Tell us what you liked and what you didn't like and how we can improve and what you think would happen next or what you'd like to see happen next. (:


	12. Chapter 11

“So basically you’re saying that I’m allowed to go to the party but I’m not allowed to drink?”

Niall fixed his eyes on Zayn, blue eyes glaring like sapphires in the sun. Why wasn’t he allowed to make his own decisions? Why must he have to take instructions and follow what Zayn and Harry had agreed to let him do?

The android simply gave a curt nod in reply. Niall was already lying in bed and waiting for sleep to take him when Zayn had came in to inform him of both his and Harry’s decision.

Niall turned his back on Zayn, pulling his comforter up higher around his shoulders. He shuddered when a cool draft blew against his back as Zayn lifted the comforter from the back and got in beside Niall. His synthetically muscled arm found its way around Niall’s waist and pulled the blond close so that he was pressed against Zayn’s warm body.

“I know you’re not happy about this.” Zayn’s warm breath tickled against Niall’s neck as he spoke, voice low and sullen, hand rubbing comforting circles on Niall’s abdomen. Niall chose to ignore Zayn’s words, but inevitably found himself leaning into Zayn’s embrace and melting into his touches.

“It’s for your own good,” Zayn said, pressing a kiss on Niall’s neck. The blond shivered at the contact on his bare skin.

“I’m not a child,” Niall replied curtly. He didn’t try to get out of Zayn’s hold. “I’m seventeen already.”

“Barely,” Zayn countered, his hand finding Niall’s and squeezing it. “It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re safe. That’s what boyfriends are for.”

“I think that’s what the police are for.”

“Boyfriends too. We have multiple occupations and responsibilities when we become a boyfriend,” Zayn said softly. He continued to press kisses down Niall’s neck, and soon Niall found himself on his back, his shirt off with Zayn looming over him, kissing his chest and making his heart pound faster than ever.

It was almost as if every spot Zayn touches is bursting into flames, every kiss on him causes the blood to stir in his groin.

“Beautiful,” Zayn whispered, his lips ghosting over Niall’s chest.

Niall’s eyelids fluttered close, his entire being felt limp, all except his dick which felt harder than ever. He suddenly felt so exposed and spread out, his arms instinctively coming up to cover himself, his body tensing up and wanting to curl into himself. How can such a gorgeous creature like Zayn even look at him, this scrawny teenager with barely any hair anywhere and pasty-pale skin?

“No,” Zayn said, his hands gripping on to Niall’s. He was suddenly on his heels, legs on either side of Niall’s body, dark eyes piercing intently into Niall’s. “Don’t hide; you’re so beautiful. I want to see all of you.”

He felt the tension slowly dissipate from his body as he slowly relaxed into the mattress with Zayn’s hand stroking at his cheek, his other coaxing Niall’s arms away from himself. Zayn leaned in to kiss Niall softly on the lips, eliciting a moan from Niall when the android pressed their groins together and grinded in.

“Z-zayn,” Niall gasped as Zayn bit hard on his lip, his hands travelling down Niall’s torso and hooking Niall’s legs around his waist, pressing their arousals harder into each other.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want,” Zayn said, leaning his forehead against Niall’s as he continued to rut into the boy, drawing out breathy moans.

With a groan, Niall flung his arms over Zayn’s shoulders, pulling the android in and crashing their lips together into a heated kiss. He barely registered that Zayn was still clothed and that he still had his pants on, just focused on the ecstasy coursing through his veins as he continued to rut up against Zayn in desperation.

Teeth were clashing, tongues chasing each other messily. The friction felt too good, everything was so hot, Niall wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. Desperately trying to cling onto his sanity, he focused more on holding onto Zayn and grinding up against him, kissing forgotten. He buried his face into the crook of the android’s neck, too engrossed in the moment to even think about his current predicament.

He was panting now, ragged breaths and short huffs followed muffled moans. Niall was no longer coherent, his head spinning and his dick throbbing in his constricting pants. Everything felt good, every bead of sweat on his skin, every touch from Zayn, every thrust. Everything.

“Come for me,” Zayn whispered, his breath hitting the shell of Niall’s ear and his tongue darting out to lick it. A hasty hand had found its way into Niall’s pants. He wasn’t sure if it was Zayn’s or his, but he thanked the gods for it. His dick was pulled out, released a sigh of relief from Niall. It was Zayn’s hand. The robot was godsent. Everything about him was perfect. The way he held Niall’s bursting cock was perfect.

And that was all it took for Niall to reach completion, his head thrown back as he released into Zayn’s hand, his jaw hanging open, a shout lost in his throat. He felt spent. Exhaustion taking over, and the sudden need into eternity. This definitely beat late night adventures with his hand and mind-blowing porn.

_We have to do this again_ , Niall thought blissfully as he was slowly lulled to sleep. Zayn (bless him) had taken the initiative to peel his soiled clothing off him and tuck him into bed, pressing a kiss to his forehead before turning away.

“Stay,” he managed to get out as Zayn began to leave the room.

The smile that broke out on his face was never brighter. Without hesitation, Zayn stripped off his sweaty clothes and climbed into bed with Niall once more, pulling the comforter snugly over the both of them. His arms were thrown protectively over the blond, pulling Niall into his chest. It was a comforting gesture, and Niall found himself curling into Zayn’s touch before sleep finally took him.

****  
  


***

****  
  


Saturday rolled by sooner than Niall would like. Liam and Josh had previously assure him that they would be there to make sure nothing would go wrong. But he was still skeptical. The saying goes, anything that can go wrong  _will_  go wrong.

He just wants to have fun, not be weighed down by these emotional baggage of Zayn’s sad looks. The robot hadn’t said much to him that day, only silence and the occasional one-word answer. He was clearly unhappy about the party taking place later on that day.

_There’s nothing you can do to stop me_ , Niall thought to himself. Despite Zayn’s prohibition of alcohol on him, Niall was determined to get at least two beers in by the end of the night. After all, he  _did_ have Irish in him.He knew from his previous experiences that Harry would try his best to drink everything in sight and get nothing less than pissed drunk which would lead to him getting laid. This never fails to happen every time. There was something about Harry that made him appealing even while he was drunk. (Niall suspects it must be the charming Brit in him.) (But then again it’s the Irish who are known to always be drunk.)

Speaking of getting laid, nothing quite significant had happened between Niall and Zayn since that night where they got each other off (it was mostly one-sided since Niall didn’t recall Zayn actually  _getting off_ ). They hadn’t done anything of that sort since then, though a couple of heated make-out sessions nearly went in that direction.

Niall was hoping something would come out of the party. Something along the lines of possibly getting laid. Preferably while he’s drunk cause everything’s better when you’re drunk. Maybe Zayn would fuck him when he’s drunk and unable to act like a pussy to deny him. But knowing Zayn, he would never do that. One could always hope though.

It was still early in the day and there was ample time before the party actually began. Liam and him had taken to texting each other back and forth. Strange as it seems, the both of them had gotten closer ever since Zayn came into the picture. They were reverting to the closeness they’d once shared as children. Niall likes it. He likes that Liam and him are back like before; like brothers. He missed this Liam who’d talk to him willingly and conspire with him to prank others (ie. Josh and Zayn).

The four of them were pretty close now, with Liam giving rides to Niall and Zayn every morning (Zayn had repeatedly assured him that he has his own home) and Josh tagging along when he was too lazy to drive. Liam and Josh would drop by their usual lunch table in pretense of speaking with Zayn about soccer and would end up sitting with them for the rest of the lunch period.

Harry’s never been any more of a pain during those times. He’s still convinced that Niall and Josh can be a thing and that Niall still has feelings for Josh (despite the fact that Niall and Zayn are clearly  _together_ ). Which, admittedly, is close enough to the truth. The specific term Niall would use to describe what he had for Josh would be dwindling feelings. And dwindling feelings are definitely not the same as feelings.

_i thnk hlf the schl is gonn be coming tnigh. brace yrself._

Niall read over Liam’s text message a couple of times. Impossible, he thought. No way was half the school going to fit in Liam’s condo-apartment. There simply wasn’t enough room for that.

_i call b.s._  he texted back, scoffing at Liam’s words.

_swear t god!_  came the reply moments later.

 

 _we’ll see about it_ , he replied, tucking his phone away. He’d best finish all his homework before the party lest he gets a hangover the next day.

 


	13. Chapter 12

The party was in full-swing by the time Harry and his entourage made their appearance. Niall and Zayn were already present, having been forced to help with setting up the place. (Niall has a nagging suspicion that they’ll be made to clean up as well.) Liam and Josh were no where to be found, and Zayn would not let Niall out of his sight, a protective arm wrapped around the smaller boy’s waist and a glare shot at anyone who came within a two metre radius of the couple. They were huddled on the couch, Niall nursing a beer he’s had from the start of the party and Zayn refusing everything he’d been offered.

Five minutes into the party and Harry already has a girl hanging off his arm coupled with a half emptied beer in his hand. As he approached the couple, Zayn eyed him suspiciously, grip around Niall tightening.

“Loosen up, man,” Harry said, some how managing to maintain his posture and no slurring his words. He plopped himself into the couch right beside Zayn and simultaneously shooed the girl away, opting to nudge Zayn in the ribs.

“Is this like, your first party?” the English boy shouted over the buzz of the music and chatter around them.

“Does it matter?” Zayn replied, sounding cold and distant. Niall decided he didn’t like this Zayn. A bitter feeling gnawed at his insides, a small voice telling him that it was all  _his_  fault Zayn’s like this now. The music was too loud and was starting to hurt his head.

“Aw,” Harry cooed. “You sound awfully sober. Here, have a beer.”

He offered his beer to Zayn, completely ignoring Niall’s presence.

“No thank you,” Zayn sniffed, turning the beer away. He huddled closer to Niall, pressing both their bodies so close together that Niall could barely breathe. Not that the blond complained. He was just glad that Zayn was paying attention to him, unlike his best friend.

“C’mon, don’t be a prude!” Harry urged, pushing the beer closer to Zayn’s face.

The robot wrinkled his nose in disgust and stood up abruptly, pulling Niall with him and nearly knocking Harry over in the process.

“We’re leaving. See you on Monday, Harry,” Zayn said dismissively. It was the end of the conversation. Zayn wasn’t having any more of this party business. He could only picture terrible outcomes in his mind from what he saw happening. There was no way he was gonna let Niall get further involved in this.

“But Zayn! Wait!” Niall managed to say just before they’d reached the door.

“What is it?” the android said impatiently, eager to get out of this apartment as soon as possible.

“I want to stay,” Niall pouted. “I haven’t had any fun yet since getting here.”

Zayn sighed, then quickly pulled the both of them up against the wall; they were starting to get into everybody’s way. He studied the smaller boy carefully, feeling his programming easing up at the sight of the boy pouting adorably. He can’t help it. He was designed to find everything about Niall attractive and to make Niall happy. But at the same time he was also designed to protect Niall, even if it means that Niall would be upset.

_Ugh, this is so hard_ , Zayn groaned internally.  _How do humans handle this? They must have it harder than us._

“Look, Niall,” Zayn started. “I love you and all, and I really want you to have fun. But I want you to be safe as well, okay?”

“But I  _am_  safe,” Niall whined, blue eyes flaring. “We’ve been here for ages and  _nothing_  has happened yet!”

Every fibre in Zayn’s perfectly manufactured body was screaming for him to allow Niall to stay and give him exactly what he wants, but logic (indeed, logic) told him that anything that can go wrong will go wrong (or maybe that’s just Murphy’s law).

He sighed (it appears he’d been doing a lot of these lately),  _why is it so difficult to be a boyfriend_?

“Niall,” he tried again. He reached over to gently caress the smaller boy’s cheek, revelling at how soft his skin was. “Babe, I love you, okay? I just want what’s best for you.”

“Can I just stay for another hour? Please?” Niall had his bottom lip jutted out, eyes widened; the epitome of absolute adorableness. Who was Zayn to refuse? “I promise I’ll be back in exactly an hour! You can always just walk across the hallway to check up on me! Or you could, y’know, stay...”

“Fine,” Zayn relented. “Just another hour. I’ll stay with you.”

“Yay! Thanks! You’re the best!” The blond launched himself on his taller boyfriend, arms wrapping around Zayn’s neck and smacking a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

“But no more beer,” Zayn sniffed, gingerly pulling away the beverage still in Niall’s hand once the boy got off him. “It smells bad and makes you do dumb things.”

Niall practically glared at Zayn. “I want my beer back. And I’m gonna have more.”

“Nope. What if you get alcohol poisoning?”

“Don’t care. Want my beer,” Niall growled, reaching his hands over to swipe the bottle from Zayn’s hands.

The robot (as expected) noticed his hand just in time to move away slightly so that Niall wouldn’t be able to grab the beer.

“How about, no beer and I’ll blow you when we get back?” Zayn offered. “I’m really good, I promise. Remember how good it felt when I got you off the other time? This would be even better.”

Zayn tried his best to convince Niall, crowding the boy into the wall and whispering dirtily into his ear, his hand ghosting over Niall’s crotch. “I can deepthroat better than anyonein this room. And I can do so much more than just that. What do you say?”

An added lick to the shell of his ear and Zayn was off the boy, leaving him slightly breathless and flustered. Niall pondered about it for a while, tilting his head slightly to the side and weighing his options.

On one hand he could have supposed mindblowing orgasms, but on the other hand he could get pissed drunk and have a great time at the party. The mindblowing orgasms can happen almost any other day, but parties don’t happen all the time. He’s made up his mind. He could always get Zayn to blow him any other day (he knows Zayn would never say no). For now, getting drunk is his priority.

“The blowjob can wait,” he said confidently, once more reaching for the beer in Zayn’s hand.

The android sighed wearily.

“Fine. But not too many,” he obliged, reluctantly handing over the bottle to the eager boy. “I don’t think this is even legal.”

Niall downed the entire bottle before he stuck his tongue out at Zayn, happy he’s got his beer. “Who cares?”

With that he trotted off into the mass of people in search for more beer.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being late. We were supposed to update this a couple days back but ao3 crashed. :( Leave us a comment?


	14. Chapter 13

The music was starting to make his head throb. Niall was on his own, Zayn no where to be found. Wasn’t it just ten minutes ago that the robot was just beside him? Half an hour? An hour? Time was lost to Niall. All that mattered was the half empty bottle in his hand and the very fact that is was almost empty.

He frowned, swirling the remaining contents in the bottle, and in one swig, emptied it. Time to get a new bottle.

_An hour_ , he thought. _Like that was ever gonna happen_. His mind was too fuzzy to remember  _why_  he even agreed to leave after an hour. An hour was not enough.

A warm hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

“Having fun?” Liam’s voice called above the noise of the party, his face broken in a large grin.

Niall glanced at his emptied bottle. “I was,” he replied, “until I had to refill.”

Frowning slightly, Liam regarded the blond carefully. “You shouldn’t be drinking too much, y’know? I don’t think Zayn would like that.”

“Zayn is not my keeper,” Niall snapped back. Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone?

“Alright.” Liam’s frown only deepened. “Where’s he anyways?”

“I don’t know. Do I look like a tracking system to you?” He glanced at his empty bottle impatiently, readying himself to take off the moment Liam was done interrogating him.

“No,” Liam replied, his lips pulled to a thin line, traces of his grin gone. “Do you wanna join me and a couple of the guys? We’re having a game of  _Halo_  in the den. We have beer.”

The last part was added hastily; an afterthought. And that was all it took for Niall to soften up. The boy didn’t even realise he was tensed until he felt his shoulders sag and relief spread all over his suddenly aching muscles. He smiled softly.  _Halo_  doesn’t quite appeal to him, but beer was good.

“Yeah,” Niall said. “Sounds good.”

****  
  


***

****  
  


Ten minutes later and Niall found himself squished on yet another couch, laughing along with complete strangers scattered all around Liam’s family den. They were all Liam’s friends and were on the soccer team with him the year before. The only ones present that he really knew were Josh and Liam.

If you asked the blond a couple days back, or even half an hour ago, on what he thought of the boys, he’d tell you he found them intimidating, Now, not so.

They were joking around, having a go at each other while discussing girls and video games just like any regular boy (any regular straight boy, that is). Niall wasn’t intimidated by them. How could he be when all they did was tell the same dumb jokes his group of friends told and acted like silly geese just like his own friends? The only difference was that they were solely made out of rowdy and uncouth 6 feet tall soccer players. And yeah, that wasn’t anything to be scared off by. (Or maybe it was just the beer that took his fear away.)

It had been slightly awkward at first when Liam brought him over to the family den in promise of beer. Niall only sat at the edge of the couch, sipping his beer silently, unsure of how to participate in the rowdy banter going on. Liam and Josh were seemingly too caught up with their friends to remember the blond on his own. It was only when someone, a stocky guy by the name of Brandon, called out, “Hey we should have our own TV show. We’d definitely beat the ratings of  _Keeping Up With The Kardashians_ ,” that Niall found it in him to speak up.

“That’s what  _every_  group of friends say,” he had scoffed, unable to keep the comment down.

There was a silence after followed by loud, brash laughter, and the rest was history. Introductions were thrown around, jokes flung here and there, comments made, and beers passed from person to person. They accepted him into their circle easily, and Niall was having a blast just talking and laughing along. It was all great.

“Hey! Aren’t you the kid that’s dating the really boss player, uhh, what’s his face? Malik?” Nate (or was it Matt?) shouted out, eyes focused on Niall from where he was sprawled across the carpeted floor.

“Yeah,” Niall replied meekly. It was strange for him to talk about Zayn and their relationship to (not-so) complete strangers. He found himself missing Zayn terribly, Zayn who’d always know what to say and how to answer questions whenever people questioned them.

“That’s really cool. He’s definitely gonna make the team,” someone else, probably Tom, said.

“I think you meant he’s definitely going to be on the starting line-up,” Bandon interjected. “Dude, like where did he even come from? I’ve never seen him in our division before.”

“Yeah, where did he transfer from?” The question, asked by Josh, was directed at Niall who had no answers for it.

“California.” Niall responded with the first place that came to his mind.

“Dude, that’s  _far_. How did the two of you even meet?”

“We’re family friends,” Niall shrugged, hoping that the questions would stop here.

“Yo, did he transfer to be with you?”

“Bro, he must really like you if he did.”

“Either that or he just really wants to get some.”

This conversation was starting to take an uncomfortable turn. Niall could feel his stomach churning, all the beer consumed that evening threatening to come back up. Where was Zayn when he needed him?

“How does that even work between two dudes?”

“Up the ass apparently.”

“Yo doesn’t that like..hurt?”

They were talking just among themselves now, their words giving Niall a headache as he tried to block them off. Voices were all blended into one. He couldn’t tell who’s speaking, that previous twenty minutes or so used to familiarise with them wasted. All he wanted to do was lie down and rest this off. He misses Zayn. Niall just wants Zayn to hold him and stop this conversation from continuing. He regretted losing Zayn in the party.  _I never should have stayed._

“How far have you guys gone?”

“I bet Malik bones you hard.”

“Does it even feel good up there?”

Niall could feel the bile rising up. Harry wasn’t here to block off these comments for him either. Where were his friends when he needed them?

“Malik probably does if rough so would it be alright if I tried? I’ve never gone up anyone’s ass before.”

“I heard it’s tight as fuck up there.”

“Is it better than with a girl?”

“We’d have to find out.”

Just when Niall thought it was bad, it got worse. He couldn’t bring himself to look up from his lap, staring at his hands as they quivered with the rest of his body.

“Guys stop.”

And the chattering ceased. Niall could never be more thankful for this person.

“This is going a little too far..”

It was Josh. Thank the lords for this boy.

“I think we’ve all had enough to drink,” Liam spoke up, his expression unreadable. “Come Niall, I’ll walk you home.”

“Yeah c’mon,” Josh said, dropping the console he was holding and getting out of the bean bag chair he’d been lounging on. His eyebrows were furrowed and his features drawn in a tight line; an expression Niall had often saw on Josh while he was getting past defenders to aim for a goal. One that had previously entranced him and gave him a semi thinking about it but now frightened him. He was just glad it wasn’t aimed at him.

The two older boys helped Niall to his feet and began to lead him out of the crowded apartment, weaving through crowds of drunk teenagers thrumming along to the blaring music.

“Thank you,” Niall managed to say as they exited the riotous apartment, his voice wavering.

“We promised that we won’t let anything happen to you,” Liam said firmly, his hands still holding onto Niall’s shoulders. The walk across the hallway had never been longer. But then again, Niall had never walked across the hallway drunk before.

“They had no right to speak to you like that,” Josh spat, his voice hard as stone.

“That was uncalled for, sorry,” Liam said apologetically, eyeing Josh nervously from the corner of his eye. “They aren’t usually like that, I swear.”

“They’re behaviour tonight is still unforgivable,” Josh muttered harshly. His eyes were still hardened, no trace of the usual smiling stud to be found on his face.

“Josh,” Liam said warningly. “They were drunk.”

“That’s still no excuse.”

Niall suddenly felt very small. The two boys nearly twice his size had so effortlessly protected him from the dangers that were threatening to happen when all he did was cower into the couch. He felt useless. Maybe getting drunk wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Niall? Oh God, Li, I think he’s crying.”

He didn’t realise the tears free falling from his eyes until his vision started to cloud out like a windshield during a rainstorm. Everything was blotchy and muddled up into one big blur.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

_Sorry for not listening to you, Zayn_ , he meant to say.  _Sorry for being an idiot. Sorry for not knowing what to say. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry._

“Hey, it’s alright.” Liam’s familiar voice embraced him like a warm breeze. Suddenly Niall was five again and Liam was encouraging him to give it another go after he’d fallen off his bike for the millionth time. A strong hand laid on his shoulder was all it took for Niall to cling onto Liam and just cry his eyes out.

“Just let it all out,” Liam soothed.

He can’t remember the last time he’d cried this much. He can’t remember  _why_  he was crying either. All he knew was that crying made him feel better.

“What is going on?”

At the sound of Zayn’s voice, Niall immediately launched himself in the direction of the robot, a fresh bout of tears flowing out like a bursting dam. Comforting arms were wrapped around his body as he buried his face into Zayn’s chest, sobbing and slobbering, letting Zayn just hold him.

“Were you at Niall’s apartment the whole time?” Josh asked incredulously.

“I was so worried about you,” Zayn whispered calmly into Niall’s ear, rubbing circles onto the blond’s back. The robot chose to ignore Josh, focusing his attention on the crying boy in his arms.

“I’m sorry! I should’ve listened to you!” Niall wailed helplessly.

“Hush now. You’re alright and that’s all the matters to me.”

“You didn’t hear half the things they said, of course you’re gonna say it’s alright,” Josh scoffed.

“Josh, shut the fuck up,” Liam hissed.

“We should put him to bed,” Zayn announced as if he didn’t hear the exchange between the two seniors. Gently picking the smaller boy up as if he were a stack of hay, the android marched his way towards Niall’s apartment, holding the door open for Liam and Josh.

 

Begrudgingly, the two followed the robot into the apartment, Josh closing the door softly behind him.

 

“I hope you realised that you weren’t there when Niall needed you most,” Josh said accusingly after Zayn had tucked the boy in question into bed along with a fresh change of clothes.

The android eyed the two boys curiously.

“I know what had happened,” was all he said.

“You’re lying,” Josh snarled. “You’re not fit to be his boyfriend!”

“I wasn’t in Niall’s apartment. I came out of Liam’s apartment,” Zayn calmly replied to Josh’s angry rebuttal. “They, your soccer buddies, were the ones who told me where to find you guys.”

“Then you shouldn’t be this calm if you really heard half the things they were saying.”

“There isn’t much I can do about it. The damage is already done. All I can do is make sure it’ll never happen again.”

“Look at you with all your perfect responses,” Josh sneered. “I bet you’re just doing this for a show and you’re actually just a jerk on the inside. You don’t belong here. Not in our school, not on the team, and definitely not with Niall.”

“That’s enough.”

All eyes landed on the boy who’d been silent ever since stepping into the apartment.

“Stop being a dick to Zayn just cause he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Stop being angry at him just cause he’s dating Niall. It isn’t all his fault you know?”

The three stood in Niall’s living room in silence, taking in Liam’s words. Zayn watching the other two with calculative eyes, Josh looking distraught and angry, and Liam, Liam wanting nothing more than to get out of this situation, whatever it was.

“He likes you, you know,” Zayn said quietly, breaking the silence. “If it weren’t for me he’d probably still be pining over you everyday,” he said after taking in Josh’s questioning look.

“I never-”

“I can tell. I  _know_  it. I’m not blind, alright. Why else would you go all out to be nice to him?”

“But he doesn’t-”

“ _Yes_  he does,” Zayn cut Josh off again. “Or at least he did. Harry knows it. All his friends know it. They were all surprised he’d got a boyfriend whose name wasn’t ‘Josh Devine’.”

“Why are you telling me all these?”

  
“I’m telling you this because I want to let you know that he deserves better than you.  _I’m_  better than you. I’m what he needs. Now please get out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops sorry for the late update. Please tell us what you think?


	15. Chapter 14

The room was spinning when Niall’s eyes fluttered open. He immediately shut his eyes at the brightness and intensity that he hadn’t expected. His head throbs and he could feel his guts rising in his throat, the taste of bile and acids and sleep-breath at the tip of his tongue.

Strong arms are suddenly pulling him up from his lying position and a washbasin is thrust in front of his face. He gratefully takes it, barely getting to say his thanks before he’s retching, emptying himself into the basin, wincing at the smell and taste of the vomit in his mouth.

A glass of water was held in front of his face by the time he was done, and the basin taken from his hands. He rinsed his mouth before spitting out the remaining bits of vomit and spit into the basin. An aspirin was gently put into his hand before he could continue drinking the water. His view was slightly hazy, but he didn’t have to look to know that the kind soul was none other than Zayn.

_Zayn_ , a voice in Niall’s mind whispered to him.  _You should be thankful for him. For Zayn._

He raked his mind trying to remember why he should be thankful for Zayn. There was more to be thankful for than the aspirin and water and basin.

“W-what happened?” Niall croaked out.

“You drank a lot,” was Zayn’s short reply. “You should probably sleep more in case you fall sick.”

Niall groaned, an immense pounding he didn’t notice before was ringing through his head. He let his body fall back on the bed like jello, his limbs heavy, his eyelids drooping close in spite his efforts to keep them open.

****  
  


***

****  
  


The next time Niall woke, his mind was clearer and the fogginess seems to have dispersed with the sleep. The curtains were drawn shut and his phone was nowhere in sight. What time was it? How long has he been asleep?

Bracing himself, he rolled out of bed, pausing for a moment as he stood up to ease the giddiness he got from moving too fast. He noticed that he was in a set of comfy pyjamas, and blushed at the thought of Zayn changing him while he was unconscious. A faint glow was streaming through the gap of his doorway from the living room, the low buzz of the television was on.

It was rather chilly, he noted. Wrapping himself with a blanket, Niall padded out of his bedroom, dragging the long blanket behind him as he made his way slowly to the living room where Zayn was lounging on the couch.

“You’re up.” Zayn noticed him even before he announced his presence.

And before he could reply, Niall found himself engulfed in a warm hug, breathing in the scent of Zayn. He reciprocated the hug, wrapping his arms as best as he could around the android, careful not to drop the blanket. A chaste kiss was pressed to his head and Niall couldn’t help but just revel in the android’s touch.

“How’re you feeling?” Zayn murmured softly into his ear, his hands stroking Niall’s back softly, the action soothing. “Better after the rest?”

“Yeah,” Niall mumbled in reply.

“You’ve slept the whole day away, it’s nearly dinner time,” Zayn noted, concern filling his eyes as he pulled away slightly to look at Niall. Caressing his hand softly on Niall’s cheek, he asked, “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

His stomach growled involuntarily at the thought of food. He groaned softly, burying his face further into Zayn’s chest.

“Grilled cheese,” Niall finally said, untangling himself from Zayn’s hold and clambering onto the couch, tugging his blanket with him. He stared blankly at the TV screen, vaguely registering the programme on. His mind was occupied. There was something about the way Zayn was behaving that was unusual. Maybe it was the way the android didn’t crush him in the hug like he would usually do. Or perhaps the way Zayn was more gentle with him than he would usually be, the slight touches and tender kisses suddenly more obvious. The places on his skin where contact with Zayn had been made warmed, as if scorched by Zayn instead of gently touched.

“Here you go.” A warm plate was settled on his lap before the couch took a dip as Zayn sat down beside him, huddling close.

The feeling of huddling on the couch sparked something inside of Niall. The questions. He blanched at the memory.  _Zayn, Zayn, Zayn, where were you?_  He remembered thinking those thoughts.  _I should never have stayed_. And yes, he remembered the night before. A bout of sickness washed through him. Quickly, he shoved the plate off his lap and ran towards the bathroom, emptying his contents once again, this time in the toilet bowl. There wasn’t Zayn to hold out a basin for him this time.

Soothing hands massaged his nape and back as he retched, knuckles whitening on the edge of the toilet seat. He felt terrible.  _Sorry, sorry, sorry_ , he wanted to say as he blinked the tears he never knew was there before out of his eyes.

Slowly, he got up, Zayn’s hands assuring on his shoulders. He rinsed his mouth, eyes unfocused. He couldn’t stop the tears that were free-falling from his eyes.

“Shh, it’s alright,” Zayn tried to assure him. He wrapped his arms around the small boy, bringing him close to his chest.

“Sorry,” Niall sobbed. “Sorry for not listening to you last night.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Zayn affirmed. “You’re safe now and that’s all that matters.”

“If anything happened, I’ll be the only one to blame!”

“Nonsense!” The android pulled Niall firmly by his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “That’s bullshit and you know it. It’s not gonna be your fault that you ended up with a bunch of assholes who think with their dicks.”

Tears welled up in Niall’s eyes, his vision blurry. “I’m so scared,” he whimpered as he crumpled into Zayn’s warmth.

“It’s gonna be alright. I’ll be here with you.”

“Always?”

“Always. I promise.”

****  
  


***

****  
  


And so began another week. Niall wasn’t eager to return to school. The prospect of coming face to face with those who had been part of the incident the other night frightened him. The only thing keeping him grounded was Zayn. But unfortunately Zayn couldn’t be with Niall for every second of the day.

“I’ll see you during lunch, okay?” the android had said before leaving Niall with a kiss pressed gently on his forehead and heading off to his first class of the day.

Niall sighed dreamily as he entered his classroom, slumping into his seat and just willing for the clock to move faster.

(It didn’t.)

As he lay his head down on his desk, he began to listen in more intently on the whispers flying around the class. One in particular caught his attention.

“Did you hear that he slept with the entire soccer team?”

He felt his entire body go rigid, his blood frozen.

“Yeah, and oh my God, he ended up getting Liam and Josh to take him home where they got even more of whatever he has to offer. Such a slut.”

 

Horror-stricken, Niall slumped lower into his chair, burying his head further into his arms. Things were going from bad to worse.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever to update! Thanks for waiting!

Maybe if he closed his eyes for long enough, everything would just prove to be a dream once he opens them again. This always seems to work in movies. Too bad, this was reality. The sound of whispering did not drown out but seemed to grow louder.

 

Everything is a blur. He absent-mindedly swings his bag over his shoulder and stumbles out of the room when the bell rings in the distance. There’s a buzz in his pocket but it seems so far off.

 

He tried to ignore the barely muffled whispers directed at him, the pointed looks and knowing glances as he walked down the halls.

 

“Hey Niall.”

 

He kept walking.

 

“Niall! Wait up!” A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

 

“You alright?” He looked up. Brown eyes. Josh. “You look kinda out of it today.”

 

He nodded, shrugging of Josh’s hand, he continued on his way. He found that he couldn’t.

 

Josh grabbed onto his wrist.

 

“Hey I have a spare right now. Wanna dip class?” Josh asked. “I’m heading out for an early lunch. Wanna come?”

 

He thought about it. Skipping his next class would actually be a good idea. Getting out of school. Leaving the whispers and taunts behind. He tightened his grip on his backpack.

 

“Yeah sure.”

 

***

 

They’re at a drive through eating junk food and it was almost surreal. It felt like something out of a movie, and since when did his life become one big cliché?

 

 _Josh had a nice car_ , Niall thought as he traced his fingers on the dashboard.

 

“So what’s up? Haven’t heard from you since Liam’s party.”

 

“Not doing so good,” Niall mumbled half-heartedly. There was a time when any talk with Josh would get him giddy and jittery. Any sort of attention or contact would make his day. Gone were the days where things were a lot simpler.

 

“You were completely smashed last I saw you. You alright? I’ve been hearing all these nasty things going around.”

 

“I’m alright, I guess. Just not used to it, that’s all.” His life was a mess and Josh Devine knew it. Oh God. How did he end up here anyways?

 

“Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it,” Josh assured him, gently placing a hand on Niall’s knee. “No one deserves to be treated like that, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Niall breathed. He was hyper-aware of how close they were now, and he found himself subconsciously leaning towards Josh. He couldn’t help notice the light freckles that dusted Josh’s face, and his high cheekbones. He suddenly remembered why he even had a crush on Josh in the first place. But more than anything, Niall couldn’t take his eyes off Josh’s lips.

 

 _I really want to kiss him now_ , he couldn’t help thinking. All his previous fantasies about kissing Josh now rushed through his mind; flashes of how Josh’s lips would feel on his, how firm his arms would be when Niall gripped onto them to keep himself grounded. He found himself leaning in even more, closing the distance between them.

 

He wasn’t the only one. Josh’s hand was on his jaw, and he too was leaning in, lips slightly parted. Then it happened. It was soft. Better than anything Niall had imagined. Josh was gentle as his thumb brushed against Niall’s cheek when they pulled away. They sat in silence as they stared at each other, breathing suddenly too loud in the quiet car. Josh’s hand still lingered on Niall’s face, cupping his cheek with such tenderness.

 

His phone buzzed. The moment was gone. Josh swiftly redrew his hand.

 

“I..I’m sorry,” Josh said. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

 

Niall’s phone kept buzzing. His voice was caught in his throat. All he could think about was the kiss and how he wanted it again and again.

 

“You should get that..”

 

He fumbled in his seat, reaching into his pocket before he could fish for his phone. The screen glared brightly in his face, signaling a call from Zayn. Niall shakily swiped at his screen.

 

“Hello?” He winced. His voice came out coarse, sounding foreign to his ears.

 

“Niall?” Zayn’s worried voice rang loudly in his ears. “ Thank god you’re finally picking up! I looked around and couldn’t find you! Where are you babe? I’m so worried! Harry said he didn’t see you in second period!”

 

Niall’s heart clenched; the bitter feeling of guilt suddenly sinking deep in to his gut. _Zayn_. He’d forgotten all about Zayn. Oh god. And he kissed Josh when he was supposed to be dating Zayn. Josh knows he’s dating Zayn. Why did Josh kiss him?

 

“Niall? Niall?” Zayn called on the other end. “You there? Are you alright?”

 

Niall sucked in a deep breath, unable to find his voice.

 

“I,” he started, “I’m sorry Zayn.”

 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. Where are you?”

 

Zayn sounded so warm, so comforting and so familiar. Zayn loves Niall unconditionally and has done so much for him. And then there’s Josh. Josh who’s sitting next to Niall in his car, hand ghosting Niall’s. Josh was everything Niall ever wanted. _Was_. Was. Does he still want Josh? Or was he simply caught in the moment?

 

“I’m out,” he finally replied. “With Josh. For lunch. I’ll be back soon. Sorry for making you worry.”

 

Josh’s eyes were trained on him, questioning, hinting. Niall wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to think too much about it. There was too much going on.

 

“With Josh? Alright. Don’t be late for your next class yeah? I’ll talk to you later. Love you!”

 

“Love you too,” Niall replied instinctively. It was second nature to do so when someone familiar told him that they loved him. He never really thought about it. It was only after the words left his mouth did it occur to him that he might have meant them, to a certain extent. He wasn’t sure.

 

He’s still in the car with Josh. It is silent now that the call has ended.

 

“I’m sorry,” Josh started, breaking the silence. “I… I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

 

Niall sucked in his breath. _It’s alright,_ he tells himself. _It wasn’t meant to be anyways._

 

“It’s…It’s okay. You shouldn’t be sorry,” Niall said. “I…I’m at fault too, yeah?”

 

“No, I…I took advantage of you. I’m sorry. Look, can we keep this between us? Please don’t tell Zayn.”

 

“Yeah,” Niall said numbly. “Okay.”

 

His head is spinning.


End file.
